Cool For The Summer
by redscrunchie
Summary: With school finished for the summer, Peeta expects days of parties, swimming and sun. Everything is going just as perfectly as he imagined till Finnick drags him to a night club. An incident with an almost friend is enough to change the way Peeta thinks and feels about everything. But who cares? It's summer right? Peeta x Gale and a bit of Peeta x Finnick. (High School AU)
1. Chapter 1

Title: Cool For The Summer

Ship: Peeta/Gale, possible other ships.

Rating: M, just in case. There might be M rated stuff later. Also, there is going to be drinking and all that jazz.

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own anything. Things probably would have ended differently if I did.

Author's Note: Hi guys, this is the first chapter of a story I pretty much planned last night. I just kinda had the urge to write something Peeta and Gale so I did. It's a high school AU, so basically any character from the books is probably going to be mentioned. Reviews and criticisms are welcome. P.S. this is probably gonna be really cheesy and predictable, but whatever.

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" _... And remember students, the end of year dance has been postponed because of the damage caused to the auditorium in the storm. So, instead of it being this weekend, it will be in two weeks time."_

Peeta sighed as he sat at his desk and looked up at the clock. Seven minutes until the final bell of the school year. Seven minutes until he and his friends were free to get up when they wanted, do what they wanted and be who they wanted. His fingers drummed on the edge of the desk. Time seemed to go slower whenever he wanted it to go quicker.

More announcements concerning student safety during the summer droned out of the intercom. Principal Snow's voice conveying the feeling of impatience they were all feeling. Everyone wanted to be on their break. It had been swelteringly hot so far this summer and sitting inside while the sun had been shining was killing just about everyone who had to sit inside the school - teachers included. And with the weather forecast promising even higher temperatures in the followings weeks, summer vacation couldn't come quicker.

" _... In conclusion, stay safe, stay alert and don't get into any trouble. Have a good summer."_

As soon as the word summer was said, the class erupted into cheers and chaos. Everyone began to shove books into their bag and wish each other a good vacation. After what felt like only seconds of goodbyes, everything grinded to a halt. There were still four minutes till the bell and it seemed as though everyone had said their goodbyes. Peeta turned his head to look at their teacher, who had also packed up all of her things and was ready to go. Peeta's eyes drifted to look at the pupils around him. It seemed that Peeta wasn't the only person looking at her expectantly. Mrs. Coin, a stern woman with shoulder length grey hair who looked about fifty, sighed. Looking up at the clock, she held her hands in the air in a sign of defeat.

"Hell, I want to go home just as bad as you do. Now, get lost. But, I get to leave first."

The students all stood waiting for her as she leisurely walked out of the classroom. She purposefully made a show of taking a long time, torturing her students one final time before the summer. Peeta rolled his eyes as she turned and smiled at them from the doorway. "Now, you lot can leave."

Chaos erupted as students clamoured to get out of the classroom. Mrs Coin had hurried out of the way to avoid the stampede heading in her direction. Before he knew it, Peeta was out of his dreary classroom and in one of the busy hallways of Panem High School. It looked as though pretty much every class had been let out early, with Peeta's class being the last.

By the time the bell went, Peeta had reached his locker. Finnick, his best friend and owner of the locker next to his own, was already emptying his out. Peeta clapped him on the shoulder, a smile growing on his face. "Happy summer, man." He congratulated to the bronze haired swimmer.

Finnick returned his smile with a grin that lit up his face. "I dunno why, but I feel like I've just gotten out of prison and released onto a tropical island." Peeta laughed, entering the combination into his locker. "I've finished with my locker, so I'll meet you outside with Katniss and Madge by my car if you still need a ride?"

Peeta hulked several textbooks into his bag, increasing the weight of it severely. "Yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes. This won't take me long." Once Finnick walked away, Peeta took down all the photos stuck to the inside of his locker and grabbed anything important, putting them into his bag. All that was left to do was take all the old paper, notes and forgotten about letters to the trash can and he could finally leave. He screwed the papers into a ball and set off towards the exit, planning to dump the rubbish into the bin by the exit that lead to the parking lot. On his way, he walked past several of his friends and people he knew from different classes. The blond boy wished them all a good summer and promised to hang out with each one, knowing full well that he would probably see all of them at someone's party or at the pool.

Reaching the exit, he saw he wasn't the only person who refused to let clearing out their locker stop them from leaving school any quicker. Gale had dragged the bin - which usually sat just inside the exit - so it was next to his locker. Well, over six foot, he towered over most people in the corridor. Gale was dark haired and olive skinned. His broad shoulders and thick set arms made him look as though he could pick up Peeta and throw him over his shoulder if he got in his way. While he never advertised it, the taller boy obviously worked out frequently; the way his t-shirt clung to his arms and chest gave that away. He was the boy that the girls always cooed and whispered about. He was quiet, almost seeming shy but he emanated a powerful sense of composure and confidence.

Peeta approached Gale's locker. He had never really spoken to him before but he knew that the olive skinned boy was quite good friends with his friend Katniss, so he couldn't be unfriendly. "Hey, mind if I throw this in the bin you seem to have claimed?" He joked.

"Hm?" Gale looked up from the sheet of paper he was reading, obviously contemplating whether he would need it or not. "Oh, sorry... Yeah, sure." He replied, deciding to just throw the paper away without much hesitation. Peeta nodded his thanks and threw his ball of paper in the trash. He was just about to turn and leave when Gale spoke again. "It's Peeta, right? You're friends with Katniss, if you're who I think you are."

"Yeah, and uh, you're Gale. She's mentioned you a couple of times."

"Correct, I guess I'll see you around then." Gale gave the blond a smile. "Have a good summer."

"You too, see you around." Peeta turned and walked out of the doors onto the bright student parking lot. He blinked a couple of times, letting his eyes adjust to the sudden change from the dim corridor. Once down the steps, Peeta held his hands above his eyes, shielding his view from the sun. Looking around, he spotted Finnick and Madge leaning against the side of Finnick's beat up, blue car. Katniss was sat on the bonnet, sunglasses on. As he made his way over to his friends and his lift home, he could hear Finnick's laugh. Peeta couldn't help but smile. These were the friends that he was going to spend his summer with. These were the people that he was unconditionally happy with.

"Where the hell have you been?" Madge - a pretty, blonde girl - questioned. "We've been out here for ages and I do not have sunscreen on." Peeta and Finnick both laughed at this. Out of the four of them, Madge was the only one who seemed to burn easily. Katniss's olive skin, which Peeta noted was not unlike Gale's, and Finnick's naturally tanned skin pretty much kept them safe and Peeta was fine as long as he wore sunscreen.

Peeta, still smiling, replied "Well, let's go then. We can't let Madge burn. Anyway, we have a summer vacation to enjoy."

xxx

Peeta hopped out of the shower. It was the first real day of the holidays and he had gotten the two hours his mum required him to work out of the way. His family, the Mellarks, owned cafe which they lived above. His mother had decided that he and his brothers had to do at least three two hour shifts each week during the holidays. She said it would stop them being bored and would give them the money they needed to enjoy their summer. Peeta hadn't really complained about the work. He liked working in the cafe, having done it before free of charge, but now his mum was offering money to do it. There was no way he would refuse.

After getting dried and putting on a pair of blacks and a plain white t-shirt, Peeta checked his phone. He had the normal notifications he always had in the morning: a few from facebook making him aware of whose birthday it is, one from a game he had downloaded begging him to come back and play and a message from Finnick. He opened the message.

 **Finnick:** _Hey bread boy, when you've finished being a slave for your parents, come keep me company at the pool? Lifeguard duty is incredibly slow today._

Peeta smiled, quickly typing a reply.

 **Peeta:** _Fine, fish boy. I'll be there in ten._

Peeta put his phone down on his nightstand. He shed his jeans and opted for a pair of navy swimming shorts instead, figuring he may as well get a swim in. It was the hottest day of the year so far, after all. He heard his phone vibrate and he went over to pick it up. Another message from Finnick. He opened it as he went to get a towel from the bathroom to take with him.

 **Finnick:** _Took you long enough to reply. Katniss replied instantly and was here in five. See you in a bit. x_

Peeta pocketed his phone, knowing Finnick was joking. He went down to the bakery to let his parents know he was going out, before heading off to the pool where Finnick worked.

Finnick worked at a pool that was located in the centre of town. It was a housed in a building near the centre of town that also held a gym and a kids play area. The pool was always busy during the summer no matter what the weather because of the inside and outside pools.

Upon arrival, Peeta paid his entrance fee and walked towards the locker rooms that lead to the pool. He didn't bother to use a locker for his stuff, preferring to keep his clothes, shoes, towel and phone with him as he knew Finnick had his shift at the outside pool today. He had no plans to stick around in the locker room until he hear someone call his name. He turned in the direction of the voice, seeing Gale stood at a locker, smiling at him. He was stuffing a bag of what looked like gym clothes into the locker and he was wearing an outfit not too different from what Peeta was wearing - shorts and a t-shirt. Gale closed the locker and walked over to Peeta, towel thrown over his shoulder.

"You here for a swim?" Gale asked as they began to walk out of the locker room and towards the pool.

"Yeah, Finnick lifeguards here and he's asked me and Katniss to come and keep him company." Peeta smiled at the taller guy, having to tilt his head up slightly to make eye contact. "What about you?"

"I'm uh, meeting up with Madge at the gym. She's asked me if I could help her get into shape, not that she really needs it." Gale replied. The two got to the door for the gym and they paused. "This is where we part ways then. I'll see you later, Peeta." Without waiting for a reply, he walked through the doors, leaving Peeta in the corridor.

Continuing on his own, Peeta thought about what little information Gale had provided him with. Gale and Madge? Since when had Madge and Gale been friends? Had Katniss introduced this? More importantly, why did Peeta care so much? So what if Katniss had introduced them. It had nothing to do with Peeta. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he pushed open the door that revealed the outside pool.

The sound of small children shrieking and water splashing around reached Peeta's ears instantly. The sight of it all followed when stepped outside. He could see Finnick lounging in his lifeguard chair, paying no attention to the pool but to Katniss who was sat on the edge of the pool with her feet dangling in the water. When they noticed him, Katniss waved and Finnick sat up straight in his chair.

"Here he is!" Finnick announced. "He's late to reply to texts, he's late to the car after school. And now, he says he will get to the pool in ten minutes, yet it took him fifteen! Peeta Mellark everybody, our favourite later friend."

"Oh shut up, I'll have you know I was here in ten minutes," Peeta said, defending himself against Finnick. "I ran into Gale, you know, Hawthorne in the locker room and he said he was going to the gym with Madge. Did you know about that, Kat?"

Katniss shook her head, "No, I didn't even know they knew each other."

"I don't even know why I care. So what if they know each other?" Peeta said, taking off his shoes and joining Katniss on the edge of the pool. "Why's she going to the gym anyway?"

"She always says she gets out of breath running up the stairs in her house. I thought she was joking but maybe it's true and wants to get fit." Finnick supplied. "Anyway, this conversation is not the entertainment I expected when I asked you guys to come keep me company."

"Sorry we aren't good enough for you, Odair. Maybe you should have asked that Annie girl that you're always gushing about to entertain you." Katniss countered.

Before Peeta knew what was happening, Finnick's foot had connected with Katniss's back and she was in the water. She stood up, the water coming to just above her waist. Her brown hair, which Peeta had just realised was the same colour as Gale's, clung to her forehead and shoulders.

"I hope there is another lifeguard on duty, for your sake, Odair because I am going to drown you for that." Katniss shouted. Finnick just laughed which only seemed to make Katniss angrier. She climbed out of the pool. "Come here, Odair, the water's lovely."

Finnick lept out of his chair and began to run, Katniss quickly taking chase. Peeta laughed as he watched his friends dodge and weave between countless young children, making fools of themselves in front of what seemed like a quarter of the town.

Now this is what Peeta expected from summer.

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Author's note: Sorry this chapter is such a mess and didn't really go anywhere. I swear the next one will have some actual plot to it. Please leave a quick review, much appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Hey guys, I wanted to get the next chapter up as soon as I could seeing as the first chapter doesn't really go anywhere storywise. This chapter should have a bit more interaction between Gale and Peeta. Remember, reviews are always appreciated! Thanks for reading.

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Peeta sprayed the disinfectant on the table, wiping away the circle of milky coffee left behind from the tall latte glass he had just taken through to the kitchen. Somehow, Peeta's younger brother had convinced him to switch shifts so that he was working front of house for the morning rather than his usual two hours of baking in the early hours of the morning. He was an hour and a half into his shift on the fifth day of the holidays and all he had done today was make coffees. It turns out not many people like to eat cupcakes piled high with frosting at 10:30 in the morning. He had spent the last three days of the summer at the pool with Finnick, Katniss and Madge whenever she wasn't working out with Gale. Johanna even showed up as well, the summer heat defeating even the most unsociable person in their group of friends. Peeta went back to the register, placing the tip he had collected from the table into the jar on the counter. The bell that hung over the entrance rang, telling Peeta that someone had come in to the shop.

"Hey, uh, could I get our regular order please." Said a voice from across the counter. Peeta looked up to see Gale. It didn't seem as though he'd realised that it was Peeta behind the counter, his eyes were fixed on his phone.

"And what would that order involve?" Peeta questioned, smiling when Gale looked up. His expression making it clear he was expecting someone other than Peeta.

"Oh, hey Peeta… I thought your brother worked in the mornings?"

"Yeah, we switched shifts. So what do you normally order?"

"A loaf of sourdough and a loaf of white."

"Okay, I'll get that for you. Want a drink while you wait?"

"No, just the bread, thanks." Gale declined with a half smile. Peeta went through the door to the kitchen, wrapped up the loaves for Gale's order and put them in a bag. When he went back through to the cafe, the taller guy was where he left him.

"That'll be $7.00 for the two loaves." Peeta said, pushing buttons on the till and sorting the money Gale handed over into the correct slots. "Have a nice day."

"Thanks." Gale said, turning to leave. "Oh, and if you're working again tomorrow, I'll be back with the same order at the same time."

"I'll have it ready for you." Peeta nodded his goodbye to Gale as he left the shop. He sighed, looks like he was going to have to talk his brother into swapping more shifts with him. Wait, since when did Peeta consider Gale enough of a friend to start swapping his work times just to see him everyday? He was mulling over the situation when his mother appeared from the kitchen, the phone in her hand.

"Peeta, there's someone calling for you. Glimmer, I think she said her name was? I didn't know you were friends with someone named Glimmer."

"Neither did I…" Peeta muttered as she handed him the phone. While he was not friends with Glimmer, he knew who she was. Everyone did. She was the school's It-Girl. Every school has one and Glimmer was Panem High's. People either wanted to be friends with her, date her or be her. She was five feet and seven inches of tanned, flawless skin, school spirit and perkiness with a flowing cascade of golden blonde hair to top it off like a pretty, shiny bow. She was head cheerleader and the favourite to be prom queen next year. In her eyes, she had her life planned, well until the end of high school that is. But, as Glimmer would always remind everyone: "high school is the most important four years of your life. It's where you make a name for yourself."

Peeta put phone up to his ear, moving out of the way of the register so his mother could take over serving customers. "Hello?" He said into the receiver, heading up the stairs towards the part of the building where his family lived.

"Hey, Percy! It's Glimmer." He heard the blonde's peppy voice call through the phone.

"Yeah, I know… Why are you calling me? And, my name's Peeta, not Percy." Peeta replied, now standing in his bedroom. He could feel a migraine coming on thanks to the school spirit that was radiating into this head from the phone.

"Well, yesterday was the first day the dance committee met up since breaking up from school and I couldn't help but notice that you and Finnick were absent from the meeting." Even when she was scolding Peeta for not turning up to a meeting, she was overly happy. How does she not get tired of talking like that?

Peeta sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Crap, yeah... Sorry about that. We were both working and were unable to make it." To be fair, that statement wasn't a complete lie. Finnick had been working and Peeta had been working too… On his tan. "When's the next meeting?"

"Tomorrow and I'd _really_ love it if you guys could turn up this time." While her tone was still as peppy as ever, Peeta got the feeling that unpleasant things would happen to both he and Finnick if they didn't show up.

"Yeah, sure. That's fine with me. I'll make sure we're both there." Peeta supplied, trying to sound as excited about it as he could.

"Really, Parker? Wow, that's just wonderful! I look forward to seeing you and Finnick tomorrow. Bye, have a lovely day." And with that, she hung up. Peeta put the phone down on his nightstand and sat down on the edge of his bed, rubbing his temples. He was about to go back downstairs to finish his shift before realising he should probably text Finnick to let him know they were on dance duty tomorrow.

 **Peeta:** _Don't make any plans for tomorrow. I got us a date with Glimmer._

Seconds later, Finnick replied.

 **Finnick:** _You better not be joking. Dude, this is why you're my best fucking friend._

 **Peeta:** _Well… It's date with Glimmer and the rest of the dance committee. Also… It's not really a date. We're helping to set up the dance._

 **Finnick:** _I knew it was too good to be true. You suck for getting my hopes up, man. But, I'll do it. You need a ride?_

 **Peeta:** _How else was I meant to even get you to consider going? A ride would be nice. x_

 **Finnick:** _Touché. x_

Peeta smiled and looked over at the clock. His shift for work had technically ended and all Peeta could think about was the prospect of having a shower. Ripping off his apron, his headed to the bathroom.

xxx

Peeta heard the sound of a car horn from outside the bakery, announcing Finnick's arrival. As he walked out to the car, he felt the sticky, humid air cling to him. The day's weather forecast had promised a storm the coming afternoon and judging from the way the heat almost seemed to suffocate Peeta, he believed it. He got into the passenger seat of Finnick's beat up car and threw his jacket into the back. "I don't think I'll be needing that."

"I still can't believe you dragged me into helping with this. I know I signed up and everything, but that was when I thought it would be during school time. I didn't think I would have to spend days of my holiday in school." Finnick complained, looking over at Peeta in annoyance.

"If I have to, so do you. Anyway, it won't be that bad. I heard Annie signed up too and even if she doesn't turn up, you will still get to stare at Glimmer for hours. So, really… I'm doing you a favour." Peeta retorted.

"You make a good point. You really know how to manipulate me, Mellark." He sighed, admitting defeat. "Let's get this show on the road then." He reluctantly pulled away from the curb and drove in the direction of the school.

When they reached the school, they found Glimmer and the other members of the dance committee already putting up decorations. Peeta still didn't know why they were putting up decorations for the dance ten days early, rather than putting them up the day before like they normally did and he was pretty sure everyone else was thinking the same thing but no one dared to question Glimmer when she made a decision. Finnick tapped her on the shoulder, announcing their arrival.

"Awh, you guys are finally here and you're only ten minutes late!" She said once she'd turned around. He had forgotten how passive aggressive the cheerleader was in person. She had to make sure they knew they were late. "There's so much to do, so I hope you don't plan on being home before the storm is meant to start."

Within minutes, Peeta was sat at a table, at the opposite end of the auditorium to everyone else. Glimmer had decided his talents were best suited to painting the welcome signs using the gold, turquoise and pink coloured paint she had bought to match the garish colour scheme of the dance. She had told Peeta that someone would bring him the paint soon, but it had been ten minutes and no paint had arrived. He could tell that Glimmer was getting annoyed he was sat there doing nothing, so he decided to go looking for the paint himself. He assumed the paint would have been kept in the storeroom with the rest of the decorations so that's where he headed. Upon his arrival, he found the storeroom door to be ever so slightly ajar. He pushed the door open, moving into the windowless and dark cupboard.

"Who's that?" He heard a familiar voice call out. As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he could see the silhouette of someone just in front of him in the small room.

"It's Peeta… Is that Gale? Why're you in the dark?" Peeta questioned, placing his hand over the light switch on the wall and flicking it on. Gale gave Peeta a sheepish smile once they could see each other properly.

"I, uh… Couldn't find the lightswitch. I've never been in here. I wasn't planning on being here today. Glimmer saw me in town yesterday and cornered me until I said I would help." He was scanning the shelves around them as he spoke. "I'm meant to be finding paint for someone, but I can't find it anywhere."

"Yeah, that's for me. Glimmer's got me painting welcome signs and anything else that needs painting. I'm chief painter by the sounds of it. Though, as chief painter, I would have liked to pick different colours. Pink and gold is so tacky..." He looked up at Gale, seeing his amused expression at his rambling. "Sorry, I'm talking a lot."

"No it's cool, I don't mind listening, not to you anyway." Gale's expression softened into a small smile, not wanting Peeta to feel uncomfortable around him. "It definitely beats being out there with Glimmer."

"I get that, she's be-..." Peeta was cut off by Gale reaching over him to get to the top shelf. Peeta was now pressed up against the shelving unit behind him His mouth hung open, as if frozen in mid-sentence. Gale's already tight t-shirt was pulled tighter across his chest muscles, which were now millimetres away from his face. He could see the outline of both of Gale's pectoral muscles even more clearly than normal. Peeta couldn't think properly. This hadn't happened to him before and he felt like he couldn't breathe. Why did Gale's muscles so close to his face suddenly make it feel like he was having an asthma attack? This was weird. This was wrong. Before Peeta could do anything about it, Gale had picked up what he had seen from the top shelf and the two were back to standing how they were mere seconds ago.

"I found it," Gale exclaimed, a look of pride on his face as he held up a can of pink paint. He looked like a five year old who had just been told by his mother that his macaroni art belonged in a museum. "The rest of the colours are still up there. I'll bring them through to you in a minute." He said passing Peeta the can. Peeta could only nod in response, still confused over how he reacted to Gale's body being so close to him.

He hurried back to his table, still covered in the poster with the outline he had drawn for the welcome sign. Pink paint in hand, he sat down and opened the can. Peeta had barely dipped his paint brush into the paint when Gale appeared behind him with the blue and gold paint. He leaned over Peeta to put the cans of paint on the table, causing Peeta to tense up. He hadn't yet even tried to understand his reaction to Gale. "Thanks." He muttered under his breath to Gale as he began to walk away.

xxx

Peeta massaged his aching hand. He had been painting for what felt like hours and everytime he stopped to give his hand a break, Glimmer glared at him until he started working again. Only when he had finished an ample amount signs for Glimmer's liking, did she let him help Finnick with the streamers he was struggling to hang.

"Hey," Peeta said as he leant against the steps of the ladder Finnick was stood on. "What's new?"

"Nothing, Mellark." Finnick said, the boredom dripping from his voice. "Absolutely nothing. I've been hanging streamers all morning and it's completely your fault. But don't fret, my dear baker boy. I have a way that you can make it up to me."

"First of all, you could have dropped me off and then left. It was your choice to stay just so you could be with Annie." Peeta retaliated. "Second of all, I honestly don't think I need to make up anything to you but go ahead, tell me what you've cooked up for me."

"Well, Annie and I are going to Capitol tomorrow night and she's demanding that you come to dance with her friend Delly," Finnick said with a wide grin. "And seeing as you are desperately single, I said you'd be there. You're coming whether you like it or not, Mellark."

"Capitol? As in the night club?" Peeta sighed, if Finnick hadn't have promised some girl that he would be there, then Peeta wouldn't go. But, he couldn't just let some girl be left alone to be Annie and Finnick's third wheel. "Fine, but this doesn't mean I plan on dating this girl. I'm doing this as a favour to you."

"Mellark, you're the best."

xxx

There was one positive about today - the weather report was correct. Glimmer was certain there was nothing else for him to do and that's why he was the only person to be sent home an hour earlier than everyone else. That's why he was now walking home in the pouring rain, rather than getting a lift home with Finnick. He didn't even have his jacket. It was still on the back seat of Finnick's car and now he was walking in a t-shirt and jeans in the rain. He trudged a few more steps before pulling out his phone. He tried his parents again but to no avail. There was no answer, so they were either working or ignoring him.

A silver car pulled up next to him. Great, Peeta thought, someone from school to mock him over the fact he still didn't have a car. Someone who would probably take pictures of the poor, rain soaked boy who just so happened to look like a drowned rat. The window of the car rolled down and he was surprised to see Gale.

"Get in. I'm giving you a lift home and don't even try to refuse to be polite."

Without hesitation, Peeta ran around to the other side of the car and slipped into the passenger seat. As soon as he sat down, Gale shed the sweater he was wearing and offered it to Peeta. Peeta opened his mouth to say no, but Gale just threw the sweater into his lap. He looked down at it the sweater his lap. He was starting to get cold. But… He noticed Gale looking at him expectantly.

"I don't want to get it wet." Peeta lied. Truthfully, he just didn't want to have another reaction like he did in the storeroom. Just looking at the sweater, knowing Gale had worn it, was making his chest feel tighter.

"Then take off your t-shirt and put it on." Gale supplied. "Look, I don't want you getting a cold when I could do something to stop it. You can give it back to me the next time you're working the morning shift at the bakery and I come to collect our bread." He watched Peeta hesitate for a moment before adding, "Look, put it on before I force your t-shirt off and the jumper on you."

Upon hearing the threat of Gale touching his bare chest to remove his t-shirt, Peeta decided that it would be better for both of them if he did it himself. He pulled the wet t-shirt off, leaving it in the footwell and quickly replaced it with the warm sweater. He smiled over at Gale. "Thanks." Peeta mumbled, crossing his arms tightly across his chest to keep warmer. Gale shrugged as if it were no big deal and began to drive again, leaving the school behind.

They sat in comfortable silence for the first five minutes of the drive. Peeta would occasionally look over at Gale. His brow was furrowed in concentration, the torrential rain obviously making driving harder. Occasionally, Gale would notice Peeta looking at him and Peeta's heart would lodge itself in his throat and he would desperately want to look away, but just like with a terrible car crash, he just couldn't pull his eyes away. Luckily, Gale would just smile at him and return his eyes to the road. Only then could Peeta go back to follow drops of rain race across the window.

"Hey, do you mind if I put on some music?" Gale asked when they found themselves stuck in traffic on the intersection. Peeta just shook his hand, a small smile on his face. He wanted to know what kind of music Gale liked. He couldn't ever picture him singing along to anything in his car when he's alone. "What do you like?" Gale questions Peeta.

"I don't really mind. I like most things." Peeta replied.

"I'll just put my music on shuffle then." Gale plugged a cord into his phone and a soft, acoustic song played quietly through the speakers. "So, how have your holidays been, Peeta?"

Peeta shrugged, repeating what he had said to every who asked him this question. "They've been good. I've pretty much just been working and hanging out with Finnick, Katniss and Madge. What about your's?" It seemed so trivial talking about their holidays. It's the kind of question adults ask you when they don't really know you that well. But, Peeta realised he didn't know Gale that well at all.

"Pretty much the same as your's. I've been taking more shifts at work. I've been seeing my friends a lot. I think it's what most people are doing. Although, I do go to the gym with Madge three days a week now. Gale replied, drumming along the the beat of the song on the steering wheel.

"Yeah, what's the deal with that? You and Madge, I mean. Do you see each other outside of the gym? Or are you strictly her personal trainer?"

"I shouldn't really tell you this because we both said we should keep it lowkey." Gale said, lowering his voice slightly as if someone would overhear him from outside the car. "We started seeing each other a couple of days ago."

"So… You're dating?"

"Yeah, I guess so. We both really like each other, so it didn't make sense not to." Peeta was about to ask Gale more questions concerning Madge and himself, but once again he was cut off by Gale. Gale had turned up the music, claiming that the song playing was a great song. The acoustic song that was originally playing had finished and a song Peeta recognised began to play. Gale hummed along to the verses as the traffic slowly began to move again. Peeta was taken aback when Gale began to loudly and shamelessly begin singing the chorus. He looked at the driver, a smile of amazement on his face. Gale always seemed so reserved whenever he had spoken to him. Yet, here he was, singing at the top of his voice and not hitting a single note without a care in the world and a bright grin on his face. Gale looked over expectantly at Peeta. He wanted Peeta to join in and he did. Quietly at first, with a nervous smile. But, as they drove further, Peeta grew more confident with each song and soon he was belting the words to some pop song just as shamelessly as Gale. They didn't talk at all for the rest of the drive, they just sang because that was how they were most comfortable together.

Pulling over outside Peeta's house, Gale turned down the music. "Here's your stop."

"Thanks, for the ride home and the sweater. You really didn't have to." Peeta said, turning in his seat so that his body was facing Gale.

"It was no problem at all, honestly. I wasn't just gonna leave you in the rain was I?" Gale smiled a genuine, eye wrinkling smile and Peeta couldn't but smile back.

"I'll see you around then, Gale." Peeta said as he opened the door of the car. "Thanks again, and I'll uh, get the sweater back to you as soon as possible." Gale said his goodbyes and Peeta ran to his front door, turning back when he reached it to wave goodbye to Gale.

Within half an hour, Peeta was out of the washed and out of the shower, towel around his waist and another towel to dry his hair. Once dry, he pulls on a pair of pyjama pants and searches through his drawers for a t-shirt to wear. Having no luck in his drawers, he scans the room, looking for anything to wear. His eyes land on Gale's sweater. Should he? Wouldn't that be weird if he continued to wear his best friend's boyfriend's sweater? It's not even like they are good friends. Today was the first time they'd even had a full conversation. Peeta pulled on the sweater anyway. Gale was just a friend, it wasn't strange at all. What was strange was his reaction to being so close to the taller boy's body earlier. Peeta was straight. He was going on a date with a girl tomorrow. Why would a guy's muscles make him feel like he couldn't breathe? Peeta shook his head. It was just a crazy incident that he's probably overthinking. He just needed to go to sleep. Everything would be fine when he woke up in the morning.

* * *

Author's note: Sorry this chapter took so long, there were parts that I struggled a bit to write. Anyway, the usual thing applies! Take a read and if you enjoyed the story, leave a review. It really helps to know whether you're looking the updates. Thanks for reading :)


	3. Chapter 3

Buttoning up his shirt, Peeta sighed. It's not that he didn't want to meet this Delly girl. He was sure she'd be lovely and that they would get along brilliantly. It wasn't even that he wasn't looking for anyone. He was a teenage boy, of course he was looking for a girlfriend, just like every guy his age. The only reason he didn't want to go was because of where they were going.

Capitol was one of the only clubs in Panem and it hardly ever asked anyone for an ID, Peeta and his friends had been there multiple times. He didn't mind the danger of getting caught sneaking into and buying drinks at a club while they were underage. He just didn't think it was the best place to go to meet someone for the first time. Alcohol and a room full of hot, sweaty dancing people aren't really the best conditions for two people to get to know each other. They wouldn't even be able to talk over the loud music. This night was not going to work well, he could tell.

Finnick arrived at his house ten minutes later than he said he would, which had made Peeta think they had forgotten him. But no, he wasn't that lucky. Opening the door of the car, he sat down on the back seat.

"Where's Delly?" He asked, noticing it was only him, Finnick and Annie in the car. "Is she meeting us there?"

"Slight hitch…" Annie said, the awkwardness slipping into her tone of voice.

"Delly can't come." Finnick continued.

"That's it. I'm not coming then." Peeta opened the door of the car and began to get out before stopping when Finnick called.

"But, I got you a fake ID made… And I'm only giving it to you if you come."

Peeta shut the door and put on his seatbelt. The offer of a fake ID was too much to pass up and all Peeta had to do to get his hands on it was drink and have the occasional dance. Maybe this night wasn't going to be a total disaster. Annie turned the radio up and Finnick began to drive them to Capitol. The drive was completely and utterly boring for Peeta. Annie and Finnick talked for the whole journey, not leaving a gap for Peeta to add his fifty cents. If the night continued like this, Peeta would have to abandon them as soon as they got into the club. Waiting in line outside the club was just as painful, maybe more. What made it worse was that Finnick and Annie had found another couple to talk to about cute dates and the best restaurants to go to. All the while, Peeta stood there looking and feeling like a total third wheel. Once they finally got to the front of the queue, the bouncer let them in without even a second look. The three of them walked through the heavy doors into what seemed like madness.

Flashing lights. Whispy smoke. Loud music.

Those were the three things Peeta's brain allowed him to take in on his first glance at the chaos surrounding him. Then came the rest: the mass of grinding, sweaty bodies the dance floor, the neon lit bar and the slightly sticky feeling he got each time he lifted his foot. Annie and Finnick ran almost instantly to the dance floor and Peeta knew he would not see them again until the taxi home. He sighed, heading in the opposite direction - to the bar. Scanning the bar for an empty stool, he soon found one. As he sat on it, he caught the barman's attention. He ordered some fruity drink off the menu and contently sipped it, turning to watch the madness that unfolded around him. People were dancing wildly to some overly loud, bass filled song. They had drinks in their hands that were spilling everywhere, onto to people that didn't care all that much and onto the floor adding to the stickiness of it. Peeta shuddered as he finished his first drink, glad he wasn't apart of it all just yet. He was going to need a few more of these drinks before he even considered, or maybe something stronger.

xxx

Multiple shots later, Peeta was considering it. He was considering going out there and dancing. The people who were doing it looked as though they were having fun and he hadn't seen any sign of Finnick and Annie, so there was no one to stop him. He waved his hand, signalling for the bartender to bring him another shot, downing it as soon as it came.

He stood with every intention of dancing. By the time he reached the dance floor and the edge of the mass of moving people, there was no going back. The rhythm of the music pulled him into the crowd and Peeta sound found himself dancing with a blonde girl who was singing carelessly and had a bright green drink in her hand. He laughed at her and began to join her, shamelessly singing along to the song he somehow knew. The blonde girl was beginning to move closer to Peeta, but all he could think about was Gale. The shameless singing reminding him of the day before and the car ride, where they had done the exact same thing.

Peeta looked around at the scene, suddenly feeling sober. He wanted to look at anything but the girl's flirty expression. The countless amounts of people around him all seemed to meld into one. He wanted to find a familiar face, preferably Finnick's. But the only face he could see was Gale's in across the dance floor and that couldn't be right because Gale would not be in this kind of place, neither would Peeta if he had had the choice.

He couldn't exactly hear what he said to the blonde girl to get her to leave him alone because of the roaring of his blood in his ears. Gale was dancing with some girl not unlike the one peeta was dancing with moments ago, which was weird because he was with Madge. Though, it was unlike when Peeta was dancing with the girl because Gale seemed pretty into it. He picked his way through the crowds separating him from Gale. Pushing through couples dancing he seemed to be making no progress. Each person was different, all dressed differently, all completely different yet they still blended into one. Most likely an effect of the alcohol, even in his state he could assume that.

When he reached Gale, he stood a watched for a moment, not wanting to catch Gale's or the girl's attention. It inevitably happened though. Gale looked up, from the girl whose forehead was resting against his own, lips millimetres apart, for just a second and his eyes met with Peeta's. He couldn't tell how Gale reacted to seeing him because he was pulled in a different direction by a group of people. The flashing lights and the jostling movements of the crowd around him disorientating him enough to lose sight of Gale. Panic sets in and Peeta stumbles his way through the group, desperately trying to either find Gale or get off the dance floor.

He feels a hand grab his wrist and pull him away to the edge of the dance floor. Peeta meets Gale's grey eyes. He sees the taller guy say something to him but he couldn't hear anything he said. Instead, he grabbed Gale by the wrist and pulled him back into the crowd. The panic he felt a few moments before dissolved by Gale's presence. As he walked backwards into the crowd of people, he kept eye contact with Gale. His head began spinning again and he could hear the blood in his ears again, the adrenaline from the panic fading; forcing him to return to his dazed, confident self.

The two got to the centre of the dance floor and Peeta loosely wrapped his arms around Gale's neck. They began to sway slightly in time to the music. Slowly, the dancing evolves and changes as the songs do. They jump to the beat of the music, they sing loudly and carefree again, but they end up like Gale and the girl were. Forehead to forehead, lips millimetres from each others and bodies fitted together like two puzzle pieces. He didn't mean to, honestly, Peeta didn't mean to grind his hips against Gales. But, when he did, Gale didn't complain or pull away. He simply paused before repeating the action himself. Soon enough, they were grinding together like most of the couples around them were. He looked into Gale's eyes, all he could think about was the tight feeling in his chest he felt the last time they were this close. He didn't feel it this time. He felt calm. He felt natural. He felt clear-minded. The fogginess from the alcohol had gone and all he could think about was Gale. He looked into his eyes, smiling. Peeta was happy.

"Am I dreaming?" Peeta giggled into Gale's ear. "Because I don't think we would do this if it wasn't."

"I don't think two people can have the same dream at the same time, darlin'." Gale whispered in his ear.

Peeta giggled again at being called darling. He wasn't sure what he was doing. If Peeta was in his right mind, he wouldn't have even gone over to Gale in the first place. He was dating one of his best friends. He shouldn't be grinding his hips against Gale's. He shouldn't be giggling into his ear and he definitely should not be thinking about kissing him. Why shouldn't he? He was allowed to kiss who he wanted and be attracted to who he wanted. But… Since when was he attracted to guys? Especially Gale of all people.

"I'm gonna kiss you now…" Peeta whispered, not even sure whether Gale could hear him over the thud of the music. He leaned forward, slowly covering the millimetres between their lips. He was surprised at the softness of Gale's lips. They were guy lips. They shouldn't feel like _that_ should they? They were still pressed against his, now moving together just like their hips were. He licked at Gale's lips, asking for entrance. Gale welcomed Peeta's tongue into his mouth, allowing Peeta to explore the new experience. They kissed for what seemed like ages, Peeta counting at least three changes in song. When they finally pulled apart, Gale put his hand on Peeta's cheek, letting his thumb ghost over his cheekbone.

"What's going on here then?" Peeta heard a voice shout over the music, sounding like a whisper. He turned around in Gale's arms to find Finnick and Annie staring at them, grins on their faces. Peeta's smile left his face, again feeling the sudden rush soberness hit him. A wave of guilt surged through his body. He pulled away from Gale's embrace and pushed his way through the still moving crowd, leaving behind Gale, Finnick and Annie. He passed the bar and the stool he had sat on previously, not stopping until he had fled past the bouncer and was across the road from Capitol. He collapsed, sitting on the edge of the curb, curling up his legs so that they didn't poke out into the road too much. He sighed and rested his head in his hands.

Peeta started to feel the cold air on his bare forearms from where he rolled up his shirt sleeves. He hugged his own waist, wishing he had brought something to keep him warm. The fresh air was clearing his foggy head and he began to think about what he had done.

Not only had he gotten very drunk the night before he had a morning shift at work, but he had kissed Gale. Gale who was dating one of his best friends. Gale who was male. Gale who was straight and would in no way like Peeta. But, Gale kissed back. He danced with Peeta rather… Provocatively. Was Peeta really sure Gale was straight? Just because he was dating Madge, it didn't mean he was straight. He could still like guys as well. Still, Gale wouldn't like Peeta anyway. They barely knew each other. Even if he did like him, Peeta didn't like Gale, not in that way. So, not only had he kissed someone who he shouldn't have, he might have lead them on in addition.

"Want my jacket? You look cold." He looked up to see Finnick sitting down at his side.

"Would you mind?" To this, Finnick shook his head and gave him the black jacket which he quickly pulled on.

"Wanna talk about what just happened in there, Mellark?"

"Not really. I don't even know what just happened in there." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Where's Annie?"

"Okay… She's getting the car. Unlike you and I, she hasn't been drinking like it's her last night on Earth. Actually, she hasn't even had a sip of alcohol. I guess she secretly assigned herself the designated driver."

"Good thing too. Otherwise, we would have had to have gotten a taxi or something." Peeta said, before adding. "Wanna stay at mine tonight?"

"Sure," Finnick answered. "I'll walk Annie home from yours. She only lives down the road."

"Cool." Was all Peeta could add. They waited for Annie on the curb. When she pulled the car up in front of them, they clambered into the vehicle, finding it harder than they thought it would be. Guess the fresh air didn't clear my head as much as I thought it did, Peeta thought. Annie just laughed at them both before heading to Peeta's house.

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took longer than I originally thought it would, but I got a little distracted. I might not be able to post another chapter for about a week because I'm going on holiday, but I'll be writing one while I'm away so it's ready to post when I get back. As always, thanks for reading and please leave a review if you liked it!


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Hey guys! Thanks for all the great reviews since I've been away. I really appreciate any feedback that you have to offer. Sorry this chapter hasn't come out as soon as I wanted it to, but I lost the document with all the planning for each chapter on it and I had to rewrite it all. Hope you enjoy the chapter and leave a review if you enjoyed it!

* * *

Peeta awoke to the sound of his alarm, announcing that it was time to get up for work. He groaned, really wishing he'd taken the day off like Annie had advised him to last night. Peeta reached out blindly for the alarm still loudly interrupting the quiet of his room. After silencing it, the room felt oddly calm. The pale morning sun filtered in through the curtains they had forgotten to close the night before and only the sound of Finnick's soft breathing filled the room. He checked the alarm clock on his bedside table - 6:30 am. Peeta, for the first time in his life, was glad that he set an alarm half an hour before he had to get up for work and then a second at the time he had to wake up. It meant, even if it was just helpful for today, he had an extra half an hour to lie in bed and attempt to rid himself of the hazy fogginess of sleep that still clouded his mind after last night. The blond boy rolled over so that he was facing the bronzed swimmer he was sharing his bed with. Finnick was laying curled up on the side of the bed that was pushed up against the wall. His back was pressed against his back and the covers were only half covering his body.

When Finnick had helped Peeta stumble into his own bedroom earlier that morning, they had realised that Finnick would not fit into any of the pyjamas Peeta had promised he could borrow. Just to check, Finnick had tried on one of the old t-shirts, to find that they were right. His broader shoulders and thicker arms forcing the material to stretch almost to it's limits. Finnick finally suggest he just slept in his underwear. Peeta agreed as long as he slept on the wall side of the bed which Finnick usually forced Peeta to sleep in.

Here Peeta was, looking at Finnick sleeping. That sounded kind of creepy to Peeta in his own head. He was watching his best friend sleep. Was that weird? He didn't really care. His best friend looked so peaceful. He usually walked around with a wide grin on his face, laughing and joking loudly. Now, he was the opposite. The corners of his mouth were upturned in a small smile and he could see his eyes moving wildly underneath his heavy eyelids. His hand rested on his defined, tanned abdominal muscles which Peeta couldn't help but envy. He continued to lower his gaze. Skipping past his belly button, he followed the light, thin trail of hair to the white waistband of his friend's boxers. The duvet cover restricted him from seeing anything further down - the muscular legs he saw every time his friend wore shorts and the bulge he had sometimes seen in the locker room at school. Peeta bit his lip, would Finnick wake up if he moved the duvet? What if he did wake up to find Peeta ogling his bulge? Would he hate him, judge him, ignore him forever? No, Finnick would understand. He just wanted a little peek… Peeta's hand moved out from under the cover, moving towards the corner that was covering the parts of his friend he was so curious to see.

The alarm blared out again.

Peeta ripped his eyes away from the small patch of hair and the waistband of the swimmer's underwear and turned his back to the sleeping guy. What the fuck? What the hell was he doing and thinking? Why Peeta was even thinking about Finnick's… Crotch, let alone yearning to see it. He stopped the alarm and clambered out of bed hurriedly. His thoughts leaving him mortified and confused. He wasn't gay. He liked girls. Katniss was hot, Finnick wasn't. Finnick was his best friend who was seeing Annie. He grabbed a clean shirt and a pair of trousers from his wardrobe and made his way to the bathroom to take a shower, preferably a cold one after his earlier thoughts, and to get dressed.

He got out of the shower, feeling a lot better than he had when his first alarm had gone off. His head was clear and he had moved the incident with the sleeping Finnick at the back of his mind, not wanting to deal with it now. After getting dressed in the bathroom, he went back to his bedroom; running a towel through his hair to dry it. He had another fifteen minutes before he needed to be at work so he thought he may as well see if Finnick was awake and needed anything.

"Morning, sleepyhead." Peeta greeted warmly when he saw that Finnick was now laying in the middle of his bed, the duvet still only covering his bottom half.

"Don't say that too loud, my head is killing." Finnick sighed and moved his hand to rub his temple. Peeta couldn't help but notice that the small movement had shifted the blanket ever so slightly so that he could now see the black material of his best friend's boxers that was below the white waistband. He could feel a wave of heat rush through his cheeks and then southward, causing him to blush. Oh god, was he getting hard at the sight of his best friend pretty much naked in his bed? Fuck, he was. A guy had just made him hard without even knowing it. "Also, it makes us sound like an old married couple and I love you and all, Bread Boy, but I am so not ready for a commitment like that."

Peeta grinned uncomfortably, in other circumstances the joke would have been funny but right now he was busy trying to rid himself of the unwanted situation in his trousers. He decided he needed to sit down before Finnick caught sight of the awkward circumstance Peeta was currently trying to stop from happening. He quickly sat in the chair at his desk. Was he gay? No, he couldn't be… But Finnick had just made him… Stop Peeta, he told himself, just go to work already.

"Don't lie to yourself, you'd love to be married to me, Odair." Peeta grabbed his jacket as he stood up, holding it over his crotch. "Anyway, I better get to work. If you need anything, I'm downstairs. You can have a shower if you want or you can stay in bed till I finish work or you can go home. Do whatever you want, I don't mind. If you do leave though, come say goodbye first." Without waiting for a reply, he quickly left the room. Standing at the top of the stairs that lead to the bakery, he looked down at the tent in his trousers… All this caused by Finnick's body.

What the fuck happened to Peeta overnight?

xxx

"And what table will you be sat on?" Peeta asked the redheaded girl he was serving.

"Table three." She said bluntly, not returning the smile he gave her.

"I'll bring that right over to you when it's ready." He said, giving her yet another smile before sending her order through to the kitchen. Again, he did not receive a smile in return from the girl before she walked away to her table. He sighed. Customers that just weren't polite enough to at least act nice were what made working in the cafe so unpleasant.

The bell above the door rang, just like it did throughout the day whenever a customer entered. Peeta looked up to give the new customer a smile. He saw Gale. Fuck, he had forgotten Gale would come to collect his family's daily order. He hadn't gotten it ready like he usually did. The taller guy's dark hair was messy, like always, but it was different this time. Peeta was pretty sure Gale had just rolled out of bed. The broad and muscled guy was wearing comfy clothes - light grey tracksuit bottoms and a navy jumper. Sunglasses covered the eyes that Peeta knew would look tired and weary. Gale was obviously feeling the effects of last night's activities, just as Peeta and Finnick were.

Last night… Crap. Peeta had somehow managed to forget all about what happened with Gale the night before. The dancing, the grinding, the kissing. That was some kiss. Just thinking about it, butterflies began to flutter around in Peeta's stomach. What would Gale say to him about it? How would he somehow explain to Gale what had lead him to do what he did?

"Hey Peeta." Gale said nonchalantly. "Our usual, please." That's it? Peeta had to admit to himself that he was a little disappointed with that; there wasn't even a mention of last night's events. Maybe Gale had forgotten. Maybe Peeta wouldn't have to face the consequences of kissing his best friend's boyfriend.

"Sure, I'll just get it ready for you." Peeta said, the smile he always gave smaller and more tentative than it usually was. "Anything else while you wait?"

"Normally, I'd say no," Gale stated. "But, I feel like crap. So, I'll take a coffee and… One of those cupcakes with the icing and the flowers. They look super manly." He winked at Peeta as he pointed to a delicately decorated cake in the display case. The wink only intensified the fluttering feeling in Peeta's stomach.

"Coming right up." Was all Peeta could say before he started making the coffee and placed a cupcake with pale blue icing and yellow flowers onto a plate. He handed over the plate and a takeaway cup of coffee once it was done. Gale nodded his thanks and paid for it all. Peeta hurried into the kitchen to collect the last parts of Gale's order. After grabbing the loaves of bread, he took a breath while slipping them into bags for Gale. He had to calm himself down. Obviously, Gale didn't care about the kiss or he didn't remember it. Placing the bags on the counter to his left, his rubbed his temples, trying to calm himself.

Gale grinned at him when he returned to the cafe. Now that's a nice customer. One who smiles first and what a smile it was. It completely met his eyes - the corners crinkling to form laughter lines. It was open mouthed, showing his white and even teeth that seemed to almost twinkle like they do in cartoons. Peeta could feel the butterflies resurfacing almost instantly. Gale made him nervous and… - What was that? Excitement, Peeta decided. He made him nervous and excited all at once. Waves of emotion had flooded his brain every time he had looked the dark haired boy standing in front of him. It was all he could do to smile at him in return. This wasn't like the feeling he got when he looked at Finnick. That was lust, pure and new. What he felt when he looked at Gale was much more complex. He wasn't sure he it meant. Placing the two loaves in front of the other, Peeta noticed an empty cupcake wrapper and cup.

"How much is that gonna be?" Gale asked, picking up his order.

"Uh… Normal price. The cake and coffee is on me." Peeta replied, accepting the money put in his hand.

"Some inappropriate dancing and a kiss and now you're buying me coffee." Gale joked, "How romantic." And without, he swept out of the cafe. Peeta could only stand and watch him go, mouth hanging open. He remembered, just as well as Peeta did. Gale remembered it all.

xxx

By the time his shift finished, all Peeta wanted to do was curl up in his bed and try to forget about everything that happened last night and everything that had happened today. Finnick hadn't come to say he was leaving yet, so he assumed that he was still here. He found his assumption to be correct upon opening his bedroom door. Unlike earlier, Finnick was now fully clothed and was sat on the bed, on his phone.

"Hi honey, I'm home." Peeta announced, continuing the marriage joke he unintentionally started earlier.

"Darling, good to see you. Come, sit, tell me about your day." Finnick played along to Peeta's surprise. He sat next Finnick, resting his head on his shoulder. There was a pause where neither of the boys did anything. Finnick was still looking at him, his phone now discarded on the bed. "No seriously, Mellark, you look upset. What happened? Tell me about it."

"Nothing. It really doesn't matter." Peeta sighed, smiling when Finnick snaked his arm around his shoulders to comfort him. "I'm not even sure what's going on myself."

"Okay. You aren't ready. That's fine, just tell me when you're ready."

They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the comfortable quiet. Peeta looked at Finnick, taking in every detail of his face. Had he always had that really faint birthmark? Whether it was dirt or just something Peeta had never realised before, it was cute. Without even noticing, Peeta had moved his hand up to rest on Finnick's abdomen, feeling the solid muscles beneath the thin material of his t-shirt. Finnick pulled him in closer, the two ending up entangled in each other. Peeta relished in every second of it.

"Katniss wants us to go over later." Finnick eventually said, shattering the calm. "To help her plan her party."

"Party?"

"Yeah," The swimmer replied. "She's having an end of year party that she said 'won't suck like the school one' which we all know just means there will be alcohol and lots of teenage sexual activity."

"Can't we just stay like this? I'm comfy, you make a good pillow." Peeta muttered, barely loud enough for his friend to hear.

"We can, for a while at least. She doesn't want us over until like four."

"Good." Peeta smiled, craning his neck up so he could place a light kiss on Finnick's jawline. In return, Finnick kissed Peeta's forehead. That's where they stayed for three hours until Katniss texted them half an hour early, saying they needed to be at her house as soon as possible to help her and Madge sort out some emergency.

* * *

Author's Note: This was another chapter where not much really happened. I'm sorry. I just wanted to have a chapter where Peeta's feelings started to change without having to work it around into a major plot moving event. I just wanted to focus on it. Sorry this took so long. Leave a review if you enjoyed! Thanks for all the support. :)


	5. Chapter 5

Peeta closed the door of Finnick's car, hearing the slam echo across the empty street. The roads were unusually quiet for the time of day and they had managed to make it to Katniss' house in a matter of minutes once they had gotten into the car. As the pair walked to the front door of the house, Peeta couldn't help but look over at the swimmer who had driven him here. Finnick's clothes from the night before stunk of alcohol and sweat so he and Finnick had torn Peeta's wardrobe looking for anything that fit him. Eventually, they had to ask Peeta's older brother to lend him something to wear which he reluctantly agreed to do. The blond had left Peeta to pick out some clothes for himself so that he could change out of his work clothes. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of Finnick in a sweater that was too baggy, yet still somehow managed to show off his muscled arms.

When there was no response to their knock, Peeta decided it was probably best to just walk in, assuming that the girls weren't able to hear them from Katniss's room. Pushing open the door, he called out Katniss's name tentatively. He heard a laugh resonate down the stairs in front of him and then, finally, a response.

"Hey guys! Come on up."

They found the girls sat on the floor, leaning on Katniss's bed, typing away at a laptop. Before they could speak or even greet them, the boys were ushered over to join them.

"Okay, Peeta, you know loads of people. Look at this invite list and add anyone I've forgotten… Or that you want there, of course." Madge said with a smile, offering him Katniss's laptop.

Peeta accepted the laptop and forced a smile. He avoided Madge's eyeline at all costs. Just the sight of her bright blue eyes flooded his stomach with guilt. She was smiling at him with such genuine kindness that Peeta had never felt worse about what he had done. If she knew about Gale, then she wouldn't be being this friendly to him. At least that meant she didn't know, he hadn't told her. Peeta hoped that because Gale hadn't told her yet, he wouldn't tell her at all.

He rested the laptop on his knee, focusing solely on the list in front of him. While the others began to discuss games they could play, he scanned the list. Madge, Peeta, Katniss and Finnick were at the top of the list. He wasn't sure why the girls had even bothered to write their names considering they were planning the party but he decided to ignore it. Johanna, Annie, Delly, Marvel, Glimmer, Cato, Clove. Really? Peeta thought to himself. Johanna, Annie and Delly's invitations he understood, they always came to their parties, but Marvel, Glimmer, Cato and Clove? They barely spoke to them. Again, he decided to ignore it and expect that Katniss had a reason to invite them. Foxface - he wasn't sure whether that was their real name, but still, he moved on - Rue, Thresh and even Prim, Katniss's younger sister was on the list. He read the rest of the list, recognising the names of other people from their classes and some people he hadn't even heard of. After reading invitation list, he thought about who wasn't on the list. He couldn't really think of anyone obvious that they had missed, apart from one name.

Gale Hawthorne.

He quickly typed Gale's name halfway through the list, just in case Finnick read it after him. After last night, he didn't want Finnick thinking he was suddenly interested in Gale. He hoped he would just think Madge had invited him. Passing the laptop over to Finnick, he joined the girl's conversation. After a five minute argument between Katniss and Madge over whether they should get plastic or paper cups for the party, Peeta felt the urge to leave the room. A lump had risen in his throat and he needed something to wash it down. He stood, announced that he was getting a drink and left the room.

The kitchen was blissfully quiet in comparison to the room he had just left. He grabbed and glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. Peeta gulped down the drink hurriedly, wanting to wash away the lump in his throat in anyway he could.

"You okay, Peet?" Peeta turned to see Finnick leaning on the frame of the door. He ignored the swimmer's question, staring down at the remaining water left in the bottom of his cup. He swirled it around, watching it create a mini whirlpool in his hand. "Is it about Ga-... About what happened last night? You've been acting weird all day. I know som-"

"It's fine, Fin. I swear… I didn't want to talk about it last night, and I don't want to talk about it now." Peeta said, cutting off Finnick mid-sentence. He turned, swallowing the last of the water and placed the glass on the kitchen counter. "I just…" Peeta sighed. "I need some time, I guess."

"That's good. I'm glad you're thinking about it." Finnick responded, moving closer to Peeta. Once next to him, he reached a hand out for Peeta's reassuringly.

"The thing is, I'm not really sure what I'm meant to be thinking about, Fin. It's hard to think about a feeling that just seems to… Come and go." Peeta shook his head, running a hand through his hair. His thoughts swam around his mind. It was impossible to "It's hard to explain. I mean, how can I explain something I'm not sure about myself?"

Finnick wrapped his arms around Peeta's waist, pulling him close. "Just let me know if you figure it out, because trust me… I'm no closer to figuring it out myself." Peeta looked up into the sea-green eyes of his best friend.

"What?"

"Girls, guys, sex, love… It's hard for everyone to work out want and who they want."

Peeta scoffed. "I find it hard to believe that Finnick Odair has ever had to work out whether he likes girls or not. You always have some girl on your arm."

"Hey, just cause you've never seen it or didn't notice it, doesn't mean it didn't happen." Finnick chuckled, arms still wrapped firmly around Peeta's waist. Eyes meeting once again, Finnick's grin softened into a smile and he leaned his face closer to Peeta's. The blond boy's breath hitched as Finnick's lips met his. It was a peck, nothing more. It lasted for no longer than a couple of seconds. But it definitely happened, Peeta hadn't imagined it.

"If you figure out and you decide you need me, I'm here for you, Bread boy." Finnick whispered, not with his usual joking demeanour but with a hushed tone that gave Peeta the impression that he was being deadly serious with him.

"Finnick, are you..?" Before Peeta got an answer there was a shout from upstairs.

"Guys, will you please come up here and tell Madge that it would be completely appropriate to make Jello shots?"

Katniss and Madge were obviously disagreeing again, and it was clearly up to the boys to make the final decision. Unwrapping his arms from his waist, Finnick rolled his eyes and grabbed Peeta's hand. Hand in hand, they walked up the stairs to help fight yet another squabble.

* * *

Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry I've been gone for so long, life has been hectic recently! This chapter took me way too long to write and I'm very sorry for any mistakes and general rubbishness. As always, a review is very much appreciated! Thanks for ready. :)


	6. Chapter 6

It was only when Katniss decided that he and Finnick could leave did Peeta realise that he had gotten a lift here with Finnick. He still wasn't sure whether Finnick came onto him in the kitchen or whether he was just offering himself as someone Peeta could tell when he's figured out how he feels and what he wants. He wasn't going to lie, after this morning, Peeta kind of hoped he had been coming on to him. The image of Finnick's well toned abs had been constantly at the back of his mind this whole time and he felt an insatiable need to see more of it. Suddenly, applying for the open lifeguard job at the pool Finnick worked at seemed a lot more appealing and he found himself thinking about what he would write on an application in his head as he was hugging Katniss and Madge goodbye.

Peeta had intended to continue the conversation from the kitchen once they had begun to drive back to his house but Finnick was acting as if nothing had happened and was back to joking around with him.

"Do you have work tomorrow?" The bronze haired boy asked him.

"No, I have the day off." Peeta replied, "Look, Fin… About the ki-"

"Good, do you wanna stay over tonight? My parents don't get home till tomorrow and you know I don't like being in my house on my own." Finnick cut him off mid-sentence.

"Course I will, Fin. I won't leave you on your own." Peeta smiled over at him. This wasn't the first time Finnick had asked him to do this. He had somehow developed a fear of being alone in the dark last halloween, which Peeta blamed on the combination of too much to drink and too many scary movies. So, whenever his parents decided they needed a midweek getaway, Finnick asked Peeta to stay with him and Peeta always agreed. "I'll need to stop home to get some clothes though."

"Understandable." Finnick laughed, "Don't want a repeat of last night. You'd have to sleep in your underwear like I did."

Peeta smiled and forgot all about asking his friend what had happened in the kitchen.

"What film are we watching then?" Finnick asked. He was crouched in front of a shelf full of movies that sat next to the TV in Finnick's living room.

"Anything, just nothing that I have to concentrate too hard on. I don't think I can cope with another film like the one you made me watch last time." Peeta said from the sofa.

"Hey, Inception was a great film!" Finnick protested, looking over at Peeta lounging across the sofa. "And you better not get comfy like that, I need somewhere to sit, Peet." He pulled a random DVD from the shelf and put the disc into the player.

"Awh, but Fin… I'm so comfy." Peeta whined, jokingly. "You'll have to sit on my feet and keep them warm."

"I will physically move you onto the floor if you don't move." Finnick laughed, moving back over to the sofa. "I've put on The Goonies, if you don't like it, you can stare at my gorgeous face instead." He winked at the blond before lifting the the boy's legs, sitting on the sofa and draping them back over his lap.

As soon as the film started, Peeta could tell Finnick loved it. His face lit up with a huge smile and Peeta tried his best to watch it and enjoy it, but he could help but watch Finnick watch it. His cute laughing at the funny parts, the small adorable gasps he let out when the bad guys captured one of the boys. Chuck? Was that his name? It didn't matter, Finnick was undeniable cute and all Peeta could concentrate on was the kiss in the kitchen earlier. Did he ask him now? Was it really worth interrupt his happiness at watching The Goonies to find out whether he was interested in fucking him? It didn't take Peeta long to decide that yes, it was worth it.

"Fin?" Peeta whispered just loud enough for the other boy to hear. When Finnick didn't respond, Peeta moved his legs off of his lap and shuffled a little closer to him. Finnick looked over at the baker a little confused, but soon wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close. Peeta didn't say anything, he just enjoyed how close he was to his friend's warm body. He shifted again, this time to get into a more comfortable position in the swimmer's arms. Maybe he wouldn't interrupt the film just yet.

When the film finally ended, Finnick just smiled at Peeta. His grin reached from one eye to the other. Clearly, Finnick had just shared one of his favourite films with Peeta and he felt a little guilty. He'd spent so much time thirsting over the attention he was getting from the bigger man, that he hadn't even taken in much of the film apart from the fact that a bunch of kids managed to find some pirate's legendary treasure. Although there was a definite feeling of guilt pooling in Peeta's stomach, the need to find out Finnick's motives for the kitchen situation was slowly eating away at the feeling.

"How great was that?" Finnick eventually asked when it became clear Peeta wasn't going to say anything."It was pretty… Great, I have to admit." Peeta lied. Christ, that was probably the worst and most unbelievable lie he had ever told.

Finnick's smile dropped off his face. "You didn't like it?"

"I did, I just couldn't stop thinking about what happened earlier…" He was met with a look of puzzlement from Finnick. "You know, in Katniss's kitchen. The kiss, the 'if you decide you need me, I'm here' thing."

Finnick moved so that he was sat opposite Peeta with his legs crossed. Peeta arranged himself into the same position. "About that…" Finnick started. There was a pause, a long and painful pause. Was Finnick about to tell him that he wish he hadn't of done any of it? "Look, you can't tell anyone this because no one else knows yet, well apart from a few random guys. But, for ages now, I've been beginning to think I like guys as well as girls."

"You're saying that as if it's a weird thing, Fin. Loads of people are bisexual." Peeta reached out and rested his hand lightly on Finnick's cheek. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"It's not really the kinda thing you just come out and say in the middle of class or when you're relaxing by the pool." Finnick smiled half heartedly. "Anyway, enough about me and my sexual encounters. What's going on with you?"

"Nothing… I just kissed Gale a bit when I was drunk. That's all." Peeta didn't know why he was lying to Finnick when he had just been so honest with him. To be truthful, it's probably because he didn't know what was going on with him either.

"Don't lie to me, Mellark. While you tried to hide that boner you were sporting this morning, I saw it clear as day." At this, Peeta couldn't help but blush at which, Finnick smiled. "Spill, bread boy."

"I honestly don't even know myself, Fin…"

"Well, you could start by telling me what got you so adorably hard and we'll work it out from there. Did you have a dream about your little grinding session with Gale?" Finnick winked at the other boy. "Or was it sharing a bed with my hot bod? I mean, I don't blame you. If I shared a bed with me, I wouldn't be able to resist."

Even though Peeta knew Finnick was joking about it being over him, his cheeks just grew even redder. Fuck, he must look like a tomato now. How would Finnick react if he told him the truth and said he actually did get hard when he saw his best friend's body? "Honestly, Odair… That, uh… doesn't really matter." Peeta said looking down at his own lap, fiddling with the hem of his t-shirt.

Finnick's mouth slowly grew into a smirk, realising why Peeta was so embarrassed. "You horny fucker. You literally got hard at the sight of me shirtless!" Peeta said nothing while Finnick giggled quietly to himself.

Peeta rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fin, shut up. It's not funny. It really freaked me out. How would you feel if you woke up one day and got a hard on over your best friend and felt the urge to make out with him."

"You're right, sorry…" Finnick stifled his laughter and composed himself. "Yeah, I guess I'd be freaked out too, but it is really cute that you find me that hot. Also, I think we can assume that you're at least attracted to hot, muscled men with great tans. So, that's at least

a little of your problem solved."

"What do you suggest now? I go out and find what other men, if there are other men, I'm attracted to?" Peeta joked, laughing at his own comment.

"No, just… I dunno, what about what happened with Gale? Has anything else happened with him, like since the kiss? Or before?" Finnick questioned further.

"Kinda, I mean when we were helping set up the dance the other day. I went to go get the paint from the store cupboard and he was in there looking for it and, well… He reached over me and I got a little out of breath at the sight of his muscles. It was stupid really." Peeta shook his head and sighed. "Oh, and I know for a fact that he remembers the kiss. I gave him a free coffee and some cake and he mentioned the kiss, oh God, and the dancing. He called it 'inappropriate dancing'. What am I gonna do about this? Just seeing him this morning made me feel so weird."

"The same weird I made you feel?" Finnick added cheekily.

"No." Peeta said bluntly, ignoring the fact that he found it a little funny. "It felt more like butterflies in my stomach, and a bit less like I needed to make out with him. It's more like I wanted to."

"It sounds like you have a crush on him." Finnick said after a few moments of thought. "Which is both a bad thing and not a bad thing. I mean, I'm glad you've worked out what you want and that's such a great thing. But, what you want is the boyfriend of one of your best friends and that isn't too great."

"Exactly, so seeing as I have this crush on a taken straight guy… What do I do?"

"Firstly, we don't actually know that he's straight. Taken, yes. Straight is a maybe. I mean, he did kiss you and he didn't even try to hide it this morning."

Peeta shrugged, "That didn't count, he was drunk and he currently has a girlfriend. So, even if he isn't completely straight, he's unavailable. What do I do in the meantime?"

"You could always have loads of sex to get over him? Take the Finnick approach."

"And who am I meant to have sex with?" Peeta asked skeptically. "Apart from you, I don't know any guys who'd be interested in that and to be fair, I didn't even know you were into that until today."

"You just answered your own question, Peet."

It took Peeta a while to understand what Finnick was incinuating and he was close to asking, then it dawned on him. "You want me to have sex with you?" Peeta asked bemusedly.

"Why not? I've given you a boner once. I can give you one again and this time, I can get rid of it for you." Finnick moved closer to Peeta, resting a hand on his thigh and pressing a kiss to the blond's neck. "And… We have… a free house." He pressed more kisses to the other's neck in each pause, eliciting a moan from Peeta's lips.

"You have a great point." Peeta breathed before leaning back onto the sofa, pulling Finnick down into a kiss.

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Author's Note: Got to leave it there guys so you'll have to wait till the next chapter to see what happens next. Thank you so much for reading and sorry for the delays on posting recently! Reviews are always welcome :)


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Sorry to leave you all hanging like that! It was getting pretty late and the chapter was getting pretty long so I decided to leave it till the next chapter. I hope to update this more often now that life has calmed down a little, but knowing me, I won't keep to that. Anyway, hope you all enjoy and reviews are always appreciated.

P.S. I have never written smut before, so feel free to PM me with tips on how I can improve!

* * *

Finnick's hands roamed south until they were resting on Peeta's hips, his skilled fingers gripping tightly. Their kiss grew more and more passionate as their bodies moved together. Like an inferno, Finnick's touch caused Peeta's skin to burn and little moans escaped his lips every time the swimmer's body shifted on top of his.

Peeta opened his lips, allowing entrance for Finnick's tongue. Finnick eagerly deepened the kiss, exploring Peeta's mouth. Peeta didn't try to fight for dominance. He went with what Finnick was doing, hoping that his inexperience wouldn't show too much. Truthfully, Peeta hadn't even kissed anyone like this before, let alone had sex with anyone. Finnick pulled away and sat up, straddling the blond's hips. Instantly, Peeta knew that Finnick was already bored with him. He could tell that he wasn't good at this. But, all Finnick was doing was pulling off his shirt.

Fuck, was all Peeta could think. There was those perfectly sculpted abs that started all of this and their effect definitely had not changed. Just by looking at the boy's abs, he could feel his member harden and strain against the material of his black jeans.

"Nice to know I still have the same effect on you, Peet." Finnick said, slowly beginning to grind into the growing bulge in Peeta's trousers. "Off." He said, motioning to Peeta's shirt. Happily, Peeta complied, stripping off the layer of clothing and hurriedly pulling Finnick back down to him. He needed to feel Finnick's bare skin against his. With heat radiating from Finnick and the soft pressing of Finnick's lips down his torso was almost melting Peeta's brain.

He couldn't quite think straight. His _best friend_ was now slowly unbuttoning his jeans after having made his way down his chest, leaving bites and kisses along the way. Peeta looked down at Finnick and caught him licking his lips as he pulled the black jeans down past Peeta's knees to reveal Peeta's now obscenely tented white boxer briefs. Without thinking, the smaller boy bucked his hips upwards slightly slightly towards Finnick, releasing a small whine. Finnick got the message.

"Someone's impatient." He chided as he used his teeth to slowly and teasingly remove the underwear. He took both the jeans and underwear fully off, leaving Peeta fully naked and out in the open. Peeta's hardened cock sprung up, free from the confines of the white material. "Jesus Peeta…" Finnick said in awe, pulling away to make eye contact with

"What? Oh god… My body's shit isn't it?" Peeta said, yet again worried by Finnick's sudden lack of closeness.

"Quite the opposite, Mellark. God, why didn't you come out sooner. I could've lost my virginity to you and not some random guy I met at a club."

Without waiting for a response, Finnick reached leant down and tentatively lapped at the head of Peeta's swollen member. Peeta let out a gasp and threw his hands down, tangling his fingers in the bronze curls atop the swimmer's head. He heard Finnick let out a low chuckle before licking a long stripe from where his balls met the base of his cock to the very tip. Every breath, lick or touch on his cock made Peeta's head spin and he soon found himself a gasping and panting mess. He wasn't even close to cumming yet and his body felt as though it was in pure ecstasy. Finnick began to slowly take Peeta's full length into his mouth. Soon the tip was hitting the back of his throat and he began to bob his head up and down, nestling his nose in the neat, dark hairs each time he took the cock all the way. With one hand holding down Peeta's hips so that he couldn't thrust up into Finnick's mouth, he used the other to gently stroke and squeeze the low hanging balls of his friend.

"Jesus, Fin… I don't think I'm gonna la-... Last much longer." Peeta breathed out between pants.

Upon hearing this, Finnick stopped bobbing his head up and down, much to the blond's dismay. Instead, he began to lick his way around the head, tasting and swallowing every last drop of precum that was leaking out of the tip of his friend's dick. Peeta, head thrown back in pure bliss, could feel a heat start to burn brighter in the pit of his stomach and knew he was close. He tugged on Finnick's hair to let him know, again, Finnick knew exactly what he meant and wrapped his kiss-swollen lips around the tip of Peeta's cock. A low moan filled the room as Peeta shot rope after rope of hot, white cum into Finnick's waiting mouth. Pulling off, the swimmer allowed the last few shots land on his face before kissing the head of the already softening cock. He looked up at Peeta, smirking as he swallowed the bitter teasing cum. Peeta grinned back at his lazily as his friend crawled up to kiss him softly. Finnick wiped off the cum from his face with his finger and popped it into his mouth, licking it clean. They lay in silence for a couple of seconds before Finnick spoke.

"Was that your first time doing anything?"

"Yeah," Peeta admitted. "I never really gone past kissing someone. But, fuck… At least we know all that talking has made your mouth good at something." He joked, winking at his friend.

"I'm actually so glad that _I_ got to give you head for your first time. I always told your that I would corrupt you one day, and I have." Finnick laughed, reaching down to adjust his own cock, still hard. Peeta followed his hand down and gasped when he saw how painfully hard Finnick looked.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry, I kinda completely phased out." Peeta said, before moving so that he was sat on Finnick's thighs, looking down at his bulge. "I better return the favour."

"Mellark, you don't have to if you don't want to. I can take care of myself."

"No, Fin… I want to." The baker's son popped open the button and unzipped the fly of Finnick's jeans, moving them so that he could see the cock straining against the thin fabric of Finnick's underwear. A wet spot had formed where precum had spilled out of the swimmer's swollen and neglected cock. "I _really_ want to, Odair."

With Finnick's help, Peeta removed Fin's jeans and underwear, finally getting to see what he had almost revealed to himself the morning after they went to Capitol. Peeta was speechless. Finnick's body was really a work of art. A straight, uncut cock stood at full attention, pointing directly out from the boy's body, nestled in a neat patch of bronze pubic hair that effortlessly matched the hair on his head. The small patch of pubic hair continued up the body in the form of a maintained happy trail. Above his belly button, was the abs Peeta had so often thought about since seeing them properly for the first time. What a sight it all was when you saw it all together. Peeta was about to reach out to stroke Finnick's cock, when he realised something.

Peeta paused.

Peeta had absolutely no idea what he was doing at all. But, surely anything that felt good for him, would feel good for Finnick?

Peeta wrapped his hand slowly around the tall, large member in front of him, squeezing so slightly, just like he had countless times with his own cock. He began to slowly jerk his hand up and down, reading Finnick's face for any signs of discomfort. When all Peeta was met with was appreciative moans, he began to move his hand faster. Finnick closed his eyes, the sexual frustration caused by having his achingly hard cock trapped in jeans for so long melting away with every jerk of Peeta's hand. Suddenly, Peeta's hand disappeared. Finnick was about to open his eyes and ask if something was wrong, when it was quickly replaced with Peeta's warm mouth. A low sigh left Finnick's lips.

All of Peeta's nerves disappeared when he heard Finnick sigh in pleasure. He moved his head slowly up and down, getting used to the feeling of something so big moving in and out of his mouth. The slightly salty taste of the swimmer's precum danced across his tongue. Peeta was immensely enjoying the sounds and obscenities that were flowing out of Finnick's mouth like a waterfall and Peeta internally decided that he enjoyed giving head almost as much as he enjoyed receiving it. He began to pick up the pace, relaxing his throat so that he could fit as much of Finnick into his mouth as he could. Finnick's hands are soon tangled into Peeta's ashy blond hair, pushing his cock further and further into the boy's mouth. Peeta stops moving his head and just lets Finnick begin to fuck his mouth, letting the bigger boy have his way with him.

Eventually, Peeta held down Finnick's hips with one hand, as he had done to him and pulled his mouth off of Finnick's cock. The bronze haired boy let out a whimper, missing the heat of Peeta's mouth instantly. Peeta began to jerk Finnick off again, using his own spit as lube. He leaned his head down again, but instead of taking the swimmer's cock into his mouth, he licked his hairless balls. He took one into his mouth, sucking slightly before releasing it and doing the same with the other. Finnick's groans became more frequent and louder, Peeta could tell that he had him on the very brink and he was so ready to swallow all that Finnick had to offer him. He licked all the way up to the top of his shaft and mimicked what Finnick had done to him to finish him. His tongue swirled around the head, lapping over the slit to pick up any precum that appeared. Without a warning, the back of Peeta's throat was hit with a stream of warm cum and a load groan filled the room. Despite swallowing like a madman in an attempt to swallow every drop, some of the cum dribbled out of the corner of Peeta's mouth. Once the ropes of cum had stopped, Peeta pulled Finnick's cock out of his mouth with a satisfying pop. Finnick pulled Peeta up to face him and kissed the corner of his mouth affectionately, removing the little cum that had spilled out of the blond's mouth. They smiled at each other.

"How was that?" Peeta asked shyly.

"Amazing." Finnick chuckled before adding. "Are you sure you haven't given head before, Mellark? You're suspiciously good."

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Author's Note: Okay, I did plan to write a little bit of the next morning at the end of this so that it wasn't just a chapter of pure smut, but I wasn't sure how to go into it. So, this is what I' left with. As I said before, this is my first time writing smut so feel free to give me any tips on how to improve! Hope you enjoyed reading and review are always appreciated :)


	8. Chapter 8

"Hello?" Peeta called out as he pushed open the door of the cafe that took up the ground floor of his house. He saw his brother, Sam, at the counter, for once happy that he didn't have to cover his morning shift for him. The smile he gave Finnick after what had happened the night before had not left his face and his brother picked up on it immediately.

"Good night?" He said, clearly suspicious.

"Yeah, it was alright."

There was a pause before Sam questioned him again. "Are you sure you went to Finnick's? You didn't stay at a girl's? Katniss's for example? You look way too happy to have just spent the night watching films at Finnick's house."

Peeta laughed. Clearly, his brother thought he had lied about sleeping at Finnick's so that he could spend the night at some secret girlfriend's house. It was something his parents often questioned him about, probably because he stayed at Finnick's so frequently. To be fair, Peeta was probably going to be spending the night at Finnick's a lot more this summer. The idea of a girlfriend was laughable to him now. "No, Sam. I just went to Finnick's. We watched The Goonies. We ordered pizza and drank a couple of beers. That's it."

The smile on his face, Peeta walked through the cafe and to the staircase that lead to the second floor of the building and up to the third floor where his bedroom was. As he ascended the staircase, the blond realised that his brother had just made him aware of a very good reason to keep the fact that he was gay from his family. If they continued to think he was straight, he could carry on going to guy's houses and they wouldn't be suspicious at all. Now, if he went to a girl's house, they would be hesitant to let him stay the night in case they ended up fucking while her parents weren't there. With the pretence of being straight, he could sleep over at Finnick's as much as he wanted and get fucked as many times as he wanted. Peeta uttered a quiet thanks to his brother under his breath.

Walking past the door to his bedroom, Peeta went straight into the bathroom to take a shower. He placed his phone next to the sink and began to strip down. Once his clothes lay in a pile on the floor, he began to run the hot water, holding his hand under the water until it heated up. Stepping into the shower, he tilted his head up to face the jet of warm water and let it run down his body. His arms relaxed by his side and he let out a sigh. He picked up the bottle of shampoo and lathered the liquid into his hair, letting the water wash it out of his hair. When he was certain all of the scented foam had been washed away, he turned off the shower and stepped out, grabbing the towel from the rail and running it through his hair. After his hair was dry enough to not drip water into his face, he wrapped the towel around his waist and gathered up his clothes and phone.

Using his foot, he pushed open his bedroom door and threw the clothes onto his bed. He shut the door behind him and checked his phone: 3 new notifications.

Snapchat: Finnick  
Messages: Unknown Number (1)  
Facebook: Rue invited you to play Candy Crush Saga

Quickly, he deleted the game request and opened the text message, his heart beating fast. Who had messaged him? Was it someone at the club that saw what he had done with Gale? Did they want to blackmail him? Would they tell everyone about him being gay?

 **Unknown Number:** _Hey, I got your number from Katniss. I just wanted to say thanks again for the coffee and cupcake yesterday morning. Couldn't remember if I had said thank you… Anyway, thanks. Gale x_

Shit, it was Gale. Peeta added the number as a contact while he thought of what he could say.

 **Peeta:** _Hey! I think you were too busy joking about 'inappropriate dancing' to say a proper thank you, but it was nothing, honestly. I could see you were in pain from the night before. x_

Peeta began panicking as soon as he hit send. Why did he have to bring up what happened at the club? Now Gale might just no reply. He might think he's some weird guy that obsesses over some drunk dancing at a club. Instead of waiting around for a reply from Gale, Peeta decided to open the snapchat from Finnick. The smile from earlier growing as soon as he thought about Finnick, the memories of last night flooding back. He opened the picture and the smile just grew. The picture was of Finnick stood in front of a mirror completely naked, the phone covering his face and his free hand covering his crotch. The caption read "Miss you, come back soon x". Peeta couldn't help but giggle slightly at the sight. Finnick made him feel like a star struck little girl. Finnick had suddenly gone from just his best friend to one of the hottest people on the planet and all it took was a couple of drinks and a kiss from another hot guy. Peeta took a photo of his bare chest and typed out a message: "Who says I'm coming back for more?" He pressed send, still smiling.

Placing the phone on his nightstand, he used the towel to dry off the rest of his body before picking out some clothes from his wardrobe and pulling them on. He phone pinged, notifying him of a new notification. He ran to get his phone, knowing it would either be a snapchat from Finnick or a message from Gale. The idea of both made his stomach flip. It was Gale.

 **Gale:** _Did you really expect me not to bring up the dancing though? You seemed to enjoy it at the time ;) Also, I quite liked the way that you blushed after I mentioned it. To be fair, I didn't think you'd remember it happening, you were fucked that night. x_

 **Peeta:** _Don't make it sound like you didn't enjoy it either! You were going for it just as much as I was. ;) I did not blush! I can cope with a little teasing, haha. I was hoping you wouldn't remember, if I'm being honest… x_

Peeta knew he was lying about not blushing, even if he didn't notice it at the time, he must have blushed. I mean, he was blushing now just getting a text about it. Hearing it being talked about in person must have made him look like he'd spent too long in the sun.

 **Gale:** _Well, I clearly enjoyed it! Otherwise I wouldn't have kissed you back like I did ;) You definitely blushed, not doubt about it. Why would you not want me to remember something that special? x_

 **Gale:** _By the way, are you going to Katniss's party? xx_

 **Peeta:** _It was pretty spectacular ;) Fine, maybe I blushed a little bit. Well, you're straight, dating my best friend and it was kind of embarrassing how drunk I was. If other people found out, it would get messy. Also, I didn't really know I was gay until it happened… x_

 **Peeta:** _Course I am. I spent like three hours helping her plan it yesterday! xx_

 **Gale:** _Mind blowing ;) Who said I was straight? Just because I'm dating Madge, doesn't mean I'm not into guys as well. I don't plan on telling anyone. So, it won't get out unless Finnick tells anyone, which I'm sure he won't. You have nothing to worry about! Good, I'm glad I'll have at least three people I know there! xx_

 **Gale:** _You're gay? I just thought you'd just done something you regretted while being drunk. Congrats on discovering who you are, man! :) xx_

 **Peeta:** _Okay, I'm trusting you to keep this between us. I'll make sure Finnick stays quiet. After spending so long listening to Madge and Katniss argue about cups, how could I not go? xx_

 **Peeta:** _Thanks man… It's been a little bit of a mess in my head since the kiss, but I think I've finally worked things out. :) xx_

Peeta smiled at how supportive Gale was being. It was nice to be able to tell someone and fully trust that they would support you and keep it a secret for however long you needed it to be. Wait… Peeta's heart began to beat even faster than it already was. He was pretty sure the people in the cafe two floors below would be able to hear his heart. Did Gale just say he wasn't straight?

 **Peeta:** _Wait… You're not straight? xx_

 **Gale:** _I'm happy for you man! :) xx_

 **Gale:** _I was wondering when you were going to pick up on that. No, I'm quite openly bisexual. I thought most people knew. That's why I thought you kissed me at the club, because drunk Peeta got a little curious and decided to kiss the guy who knows he likes kissing guys. But, I guess it meant a little more for you than I thought. xxx_

 **Peeta:** _I'm probably just a little behind on school news because I didn't know. I wish I could give you a reason as to why I did actually kiss you, but I honestly can't. xxx_

 **Gale:** _Maybe you just find me irresistible ;) xxx_

 **Gale:** _Anyway, I've gotta go to work! Wanna hang out later though? xxx_

 **Peeta:** _Yeah, maybe that's the reason haha ;) xxx_

 **Peeta:** _Sure, sounds good! xxx_

 **Gale:** _It's a date! I'll swing by and pick you up on my way back from work. Is 6:30pm alright with you? xxx_

 **Peeta:** _That's fine with me! See you then xxx_

 **Gale:** _Can't wait. See you later xxxx_

Peeta would be lying if he said he wasn't freaking out a little bit. What did Gale mean by "hang out"? Would they be going to his place? Somewhere in town? He really had no clue. And did he really refer to it as a date? He was probably joking. It's just something that people say when they make plans. But… What if he wasn't? Peeta collapsed on his bed, more confused about the situation of him and Gale than ever.

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Author's Note: Hey guys! Thanks for all the lovely reviews and to all of those following and favouriting the story! It means a lot. As you can see, I'm managing to update more frequently now and the relationships are really starting to develop. I'm sorry that this chapter wasn't as long as some of the others and that it was mostly done in text form, but I couldn't really think of another way to do it. Anyway! Thank you for reading and as always, reviews are very welcome! :)


	9. Chapter 9

It was thirty-two minutes past six and Peeta had to admit, he was slightly worried that Gale wasn't going to show up. He was going to text Gale to ask him what they were doing, but he couldn't muster the courage to start another conversation with him. He didn't mind what they were going to do, it just would've been a whole lot easier to pick an appropriate outfit. He was scared that if he would overdress and they would end up just going to Gale's house. Or he would under dress for something, not sure what, but it would happen to him. In the end, he had decided to wear a white t-shirt, black skinny jeans and a blue denim jacket. He was sat at one of the tables in the cafe, phone in his hand, just waiting for Gale to ring him to cancel.

The call never came, but a text did.

 **Gale:** _I'm outside, Peety xx_

Peeta's stomach flipped at the sight of the text. It was nothing special, just a simple sentence to let him know that he had arrived. Yet, he couldn't help but feel like he might throw up. He got up and tucked the chair back in under the table. He didn't know why he was nervous. They had done this before, just a car journey. It wasn't awkward. They had talked, they sang to music and they got on well. A lot had happened since then though. They had kissed, they had danced and flirted. Gale had technically cheated and Peeta, well, since then he had stopped being a complete virgin. He turned and waved to his mother who stood at the counter, before leaving the cafe through the front door.

Gale's silver car was parked on the side of the road. He could see Gale's face through the passenger side window, illuminated by his phone screen. Peeta walked over to the car and lightly knocked on the window. The brunette inside the car looked up, smiling at the blond boy. He opened the door of the car and sat in the passenger seat.

"Peety is here." Gale acknowledged, the smile still on his face. "You ready to go?"

"Peety? Some inappropriate dancing and a kiss and now you've given me a nickname?" Peeta laughed, mimicking what Gale had said to him two days before. He looked to see what the taller guy was wearing and noticed thankfully that he was wearing the same kind of clothes as Peeta. "Yeah, got everything I think I'll need, not that you've told me what we're doing so I'm not actually sure _what_ I'll need."

"Cute nickname for a cute guy." Gale said, pulling away from the sidewalk. "Well, what would you like to do? I mean, I did have a few things in mind that we could do, but if you think of something better we can do that instead."

"I have no ideas, so take me wherever you want to."

Gale looks over at Peeta, smirking. "Oh Peety, I plan to."

Peeta couldn't help but blush at Gale's remark. While he was sure that Gale didn't mean it in the way it sounded, all the blond could think about was the idea of Gale taking him - fucking him. He was certain the red tint to his cheeks would not disappear quickly. A couple minutes of comfortable silence went by, neither of them attempting to start conversation. Only the hushed hum of the car moving down the road interrupted the quiet. While Peeta was sure he was still red as a tomato, Gale hadn't seemed to notice which Peeta was thankful for considering he didn't know how he was going to explain the amount of blood rushing to his cheeks. He couldn't exactly say to Gale 'Oh don't worry, Gale. I'm just thinking about all the different places that we could go for a session of mind blowing sex. So far, I've thought of your bedroom, my bedroom, the shower, on a dining room table and the gym. Maybe we could even break into the school and do it on a teacher's desk?' Yeah, there was no way he could explain it to him.

"So…" Peeta said, in an attempt take his mind off the situation going on in his head. By this point, Peeta was even imagining them going at it in a forest. "How are things with Madge?"

"She's good… I mean, I haven't told her about this kiss if that's what you're wondering." Nicely done, Peeta, bring up the girlfriend you pretty much coerced Gale into cheating on. "To be fair, I haven't actually said anything to her since the day of the kiss… She hasn't been replying to my texts."

"Do you think someone might have told her?"

"No, she's probably just pissed with me because I forgot to go to our gym session the morning after Capitol and I still haven't apologised." Gale didn't say anything else. Maybe he felt just as awkward talking about Madge as Peeta did. "Anyway, that's enough about my relationships. What about another sing-a-long like last time?"

Only when they had sung their way through the whole of the first Vaccines album did Peeta realise just how long they had been driving. Gale had picked him up over forty five minutes ago and they definitely weren't in the city anymore. They weren't even in the suburbs where Gale and Katniss both lived. Looking out of the window, all Peeta could see was expanses of green grass and trees dotting the horizon in front of them. It was quarter past seven and the sun had only just started going down, casting a golden hue across the sky.

"Gale… Where the hell are we?"

"You said I could take you anywhere, so I'm taking you to my favourite place within an hours drive of your house. Don't worry, we're nearly there, Peety. You can see it in front of us."

Peeta looked ahead again, all he could see was the fields and the trees on the horizon. He guessed Gale meant the tree because there was fields all the around them and they could stop now and go to the one right next to them.

"Are you taking me to a forest?" Peeta asked, not sure whether to be excited that Gale was taking him to one of his favourite places or nervous that they were going to a forest with the sun setting.

"Yes," Gale replied, a smiling again growing on his face. "But not just into a forest, to my favourite spot in the forest." There was a slight pause as Gale looked over to the baker's son, waiting for his reaction. The brunette's smile faltered slightly. "Judging by the look on your face, you're a little disappointed that I'm taking you to a forest for our first d-... for the first time we're hanging out."

Peeta didn't expect that. He didn't even know his face was showing any sign of any emotion. He smiled, Gale was obviously excited to take him here, so Peeta was too.

"No, Gale. I'm excited to go wherever you take me. I just hope you have a blanket in your trunk because I get kinda cold." Peeta replied with chuckle.

"Don't worry about that, Peety. I got everything covered. But no more talk, all will be revealed in a couple of moments."

Gale stopped the car. Without realising it, the forest had crept up on them and they were now parked in a makeshift car park of sorts. They got out of the car and Peeta followed Gale around to the boot of the car. Gale popped the trunk open and revealed what looked like a picnic basket and another bag. Gale handed him the basket, then picked up the other bag himself and closed the trunk. Peeta followed Gale down a trail that led away from the car and further into the wood. They walked quietly. Peeta looked around as they walked. He had no idea something like this even existed so close to their city. He was so used to the constant noise of the city that it was hard to imagine anything this quiet and natural being so close to it. The path they were following forked very suddenly, but Gale just headed down the left path without even pausing to think. Clearly, Gale had come here a lot. Peeta couldn't help but wonder whether Gale had brought many other people here. Had he brought Madge here? Or was Gale sharing his favourite place with him before he girlfriend?

Very gradually, the trees began to thin out and the small bushes that covered the ground were replaced with short, green grass. The two boys broke the line of the trees and Peeta thought they had walked from one side of the wood to the other. But, Peeta soon realised they had come to the shore of a small lake. He could see two streams, one to their left which fed the lake and one further round to the right that took water away from where they stood. Peeta expected Gale to stop her, but he continued walking towards the stream on their left.

"Is this not the place?" Peeta asked. He didn't want to sound like he was getting bored. His legs just ached a bit and he wasn't wearing the best shoes for walking through the woods.

"Well, it technically is, but I have a favourite place to sit." Gale stopped, smiling at Peeta and pointed over towards the lake. "You see that cluster of flat rocks on the other side of this stream? There where the stream meets the lake? It's the best place to sit because when you're sat so you're looking out over the lake, you have the lake's shore in front of you and the stream to your immediate right. So, you can dangle your feet into the stream while you watch the sun set over the lake."

"Well, it's not long till sunset so we better getting over there." Peeta said, grinning at Gale. He couldn't help but love how much Gale so openly loved this place. "But, how do we get over the stream without getting wet?"

"There are stones usually. If not, I'll take off my shoes and socks and carry my little princess across seeing as you can't get wet." Gale said, chuckling softly. The butterflies appeared in Peeta's stomach again at the thought of being pulled close to Gale's body. He really needed to get rid of these butterflies. They kept taking flight at the worst times.

They got to the stream and found, unfortunately for Peeta, that there was a trail of stones across the stream that they could use as stepping stones. They crossed them with ease and made their way onto the flat stones. Gale took a picnic blanket out of the bag his was carry and laid it down for them to sit on. They both sat down and Gale opened the basket, revealing food and drink. He took out a beer and popped off the top using a bottle opener from inside the basket. He offered the bottle to Peeta who readily accepted the drink.

"Thanks." He said, sipping the beer. "I've gotta say, Hawthorne… I get why you like it here so much." The sun had started to dip below the trees in the horizon, turning them into tall, dark shadows. Behind them, the sky was ablaze with oranges, reds and yellows. The lake mirrored the sky perfectly. The slow lapping of the waves and vibrant colours making it seem like it was made of fire. "Do you take all of the random guys you kiss at clubs here?"

Gale laughed and sipped the beer he had opened for himself whilst Peeta was talking. "No, actually you're the first person I've brought here. Well, apart from my dad… We used to go fishing here when I was younger."

"Ah, so you haven't brought me to the place you take people to seduce them and make out with them? I am both happy and sad." Peeta joked, drinking more of the beer. "What food did you bring then?"

"Well, we both know what happened last time you were drunk around me, drink enough of those beers and you never know what might happen with you." Gale retorted. He began to search through the basket. "We have… Some chips, some fruit that I cut up myself. A couple of different sandwiches - PB and J of course being one of them… Some other easy to eat stuff."

"Hey, I'm not that bad, normally. I don't usually drink that much, it's only 'cause Annie and Finnick left me alone and I had nothing else to do but drink and dance. When I saw you, I came over because it was someone I recognised. I don't even know why I did the rest of it, to be completely honest." Peeta mocked a gasp of shock at the mention of PB and J. "Peanut butter and jelly? You are too kind, Gale!"

"So that's the first time you've ever made out with someone whilst you've been drinking?" Gale laughed again, reaching into the basket and pulling out two halves of a sandwich. "No expense was spared for you, my princess!" He winked and took a bite of one half, wordlessly offering the other half to Peeta who more than eagerly took it. He hadn't realised how hungry he was until they had began talking about food.

"Of course it isn't, I mean Katniss basically forces us all to play spin the bottle or some other game at every party we go to. I've kissed more people than I even remember kissing." Peeta said in between bites of his sandwich. "You've called me Princess twice now. Is it becoming another nickname?"

"I hope you weren't too drunk to remember every detail of our kiss, because I can and I'd be very disappointed if you couldn't." Gale winked at the blonde and took another swig of his beer. "I think it might be. It suits you, Princess."

"I can remember most of it. I can remember enjoying it. I can remember it being extremely hot and I can remember how great it felt for little virgin Peeta to dance against a guy like you." Peeta finished his half of the sandwich and joined Gale in drinking more beer. "How does Princess suit me in anyway?"

"I'm sure that's enough detail… Like, just in case you need to recreate it sometime. Virgin Peeta? You're a virgin? Well, you're gentle and soft and sweet. They're things that Princesses usually are."

"Recreate it? When would I need to recreate it?" Peeta looked down at the bottle of beer he had clasped in his hands. "Uh… Yeah, I mean technically I am a virgin. I dunno if those are good things for me to be or not."

"You just might have to, okay? Technically? Why does that make it sound like you aren't telling me something, Princess." Gale smiled at him. "Those are definitely good things."

"I want specifics of when I might have to, Gale." Peeta bit his lip, not sure whether he should tell Gale about what happened with Finnick the night before. He didn't remember Finnick ever saying he couldn't, so why not? "Well, technically I'm a virgin because I haven't had like… Full on sex. But, last night, you could say I lost my blowjob virginity. I both gave and received a blowjob for the first time."

"How was it then? The blowjob, I mean… You can't just leave it at that. You have to tell me who it was with as well!"

"It was good… Really good, almost as good as dancing with you felt." Peeta joked, winking at the bigger guy. "And… Uh, it was with Finnick. I gave my best friend head. He w=said I was pretty good though, which is always nice to hear."

"Finnick? Wow…" Gale paused for a second.

"Anyway, I never got the specifics of when I may need to recreate our kiss at Capitol. You distracted me by talking about blowjob virginity."

Gale chuckled. "Damn, it almost worked." He smirked at the blond baker. "We could always recreate it now, just for us. Just for some fun."

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long to come out! For some reason, I just never found time to write recently. Gotta leave you guys with another cliffhanger purely because it's 2am and I need some sleep! Hope you enjoy this chapter and that it isn't filled with too many mistakes. Reviews are always welcome! :)


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Hey guys! I read one of the reviews last night and noticed someone said that the conversation in the last chapter was a little hard to follow. I reread through it and completely agree! I think it was because of how late I stayed up writing, but I should get round to fixing it soon, just thought you would prefer the rest of the date to come out before I delay it longer by modifying a chapter that is already up. Thanks for your continued support guys :)

P.S. Double denim is totally in this autumn as long as the denims are different shades. Don't worry guys, Peeta is very in fashion. I made sure of it.

* * *

Peeta laughed nervously, and took another drink of beer. He wasn't entirely sure whether Gale was joking or not. He looked away from the brunette in front and looked across the lake. The firey sky that coloured the lake was becoming more inky blue each second and the lake was almost back to looking like a normal lake again.

"You have a girlfriend Gale…" Peeta paused. "Should we really be talking like this?"

"What do you mean?" Gale replied, "I'm just being friendly."

"I know you are, Gale. But your friendly is very flirty and after what happened at Capitol... I dunno if flirty is such a great thing for you to be with me, at the moment. Especially not when you have a girlfriend. A girlfriend who happens to be one of my best friends."

"You're right, I'm sorry." Gale sighed and put his beer down the rock. He moved so that he was sat closer to Peeta, his face centimetres from the blond's. Gale's hand rested on Peeta's thigh. "It's just… I enjoyed that kiss a lot more than I let on and I'd be lying if I told you I haven't thought about the kiss since it happened. I've thought about it quite a lot actually."

Peeta's breathing hitched, Gale had moved his face closer and closer to the blond's own whilst he was talking. He lips were now almost brushing against Peeta's, the warm heat of Gale's breath tickling his skin. "Gale, We-..."

Gale cut Peeta off by leaning forward and pressing his lips against the baker's. The action was soft, gentle and sweet. The blond's eyes widened in shock, his body tensed. He felt a strong hand on the back of his neck, pulling him even further into the kiss. Peeta let himself melt into the kiss, his lips following Gale's rhythm and moving so that he was pressed against the brunette's muscular body. He ran a hand into Gale's hair, tangling his fingers into the soft locks. But, as soon as it happened, it was over. A soft groan slipped from Peeta's lips at the loss of contact when Gale pulled away. A muffled ringing was resonating from Gale's pocket. He pulled out his phone and grimaced up at Peeta.

"It's Madge." He announced.

"Well, answer it." Peeta replied and Gale did so.

"Hey, baby…" The taller man said into the phone.

Peeta wasn't sure whether he was relieved or disappointed that the kiss was interrupted. While he wanted more than anything to pull Gale back and kiss him, he knew Madge would probably never speak to him again if she found out he had knowingly kissed her boyfriend. In fact, he was pretty sure if they did carry on kissing, it may have resulted in more than kissing and Madge definitely would never speak to him if she found out he had given her boyfriend a risque blowjob while picnicking next to a lake.

"You're home alone?... Well, baby, that's sounds like it could be fun." Peeta listened to the one side of the conversation that he could hear. He felt his stomach drop when he heard the last thing Gale said in the conversation before hanging up the phone: "No, I'm not busy. Yeah, I'll be there as soon as possible."

Peeta looked at him incredulously. He was being ditched so that Gale could go, by the sounds of it, hook up with Madge. Peeta couldn't believe it. One minute Gale was kissing him and telling him how much he had thought about him over the last couple of days, the next he was agreeing to go to Madge's house to hookup. Gale obviously didn't pick up on Peeta's expression because he just smiled at him.

"Where were we?" The brunette asked, adding a wink at the end.

"I think you were taking me home." Peeta replied, trying to keep the hint of annoyance out of his voice.

"Really? I remember my lips on yours." Gale whispered as he crawled back over to Peeta so their faces, like moments ago, were inches apart. "My hand on the back of your neck. Your hand in my hair and you moaning when I pulled away." Gale's hand rested on the back of his neck again and he pressed a peck to Peeta's lips. The blond boy quickly pushed him away, not wanting to get distracted by Gale's lips again. He was annoyed at Gale for being able to switch so easily between Madge and himself. Annoyed people do not kiss the people that have annoyed them.

"Well, I remember you telling Madge that you're not busy and that you'll be over soon." Peeta stood up and started packing away the picnic. "We better get going if you wanna be there before her parents get home."

"Peeta…" Gale muttered. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry."

"Then how did you mean it? Actually, it doesn't matter." Peeta picked up the basket and stood up straight. "I'm really happy you brought me here and that I'm the first person you've showed this place to. But, right now, I'm kinda pissed off with how easy you found it to ditch me for a quickie with Madge while her parents are out. So please, just take me home, Gale."

xxx

Peeta sat silently in the passenger seat of Gale's car. Gale hadn't bothered to try and talk which was probably for the best. He hadn't suggested that they sing. He hadn't even turned on the radio. He just drove Peeta home like he'd asked. It was awkward. The comfortable silence that they had sat in for part of the journey here was impossible to achieve and Peeta couldn't care less. He was annoyed with the situation and felt completely stupid for kissing Gale again. Just as quickly as they had appeared, the fields that surrounded them disappeared and were replaced with suburban houses and the orange glow of the streetlights overhead.

"We're about to come up to my neighbourhood, do you mind if I stop at my house to pick something up?" Gale asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Yeah," Peeta replied, before realising where they are. "You know what, Finnick lives like two blocks away from here. I'll just walk to his from your place."

"Are you sure? I can drop you off there, it's honestly no trouble."

"I'm sure, Gale."

Silence filled the car again almost instantly. Peeta couldn't have imagined a worse ending to his time with Gale. They weren't even speaking and when they did, it was so Peeta could get out of the car quicker. Gale pulled into the drive of his house and as soon as the car came to a stop, Peeta unbuckled his seat belt. He opened the his door and swung his legs round to get out of the car. The blond felt Gale's hand on his wrist, pulling Peeta to face him.

"Peety, you gotta understand that I didn't mean for today to end this way; or this early in fact." Gale said, letting go of the baker's wrist now that he had gotten Peeta's attention. "I wanted to stay at the lake with you for longer. I wanted to actually eat more of the picnic than on PB and J sandwich between us."

"Then why did you tell Madge that you weren't busy? Madge wouldn't have cared that you were with me. You should have just told her you were busy. Her parents are out all the time. You can fuck her whenever. You can fuck her at the party tomorrow. But, instead you skipped out on me to fuck _her_."

"Peeta, I was gonna stay with you. I wasn't gonna leave as quickly as you made us. You're the one who made us go home so fast." Gale replied desperately.

Peeta ignored Gale's reply, continuing with what he was saying. "Was I not enough? Was making out with me in your favourite place within an hour not good enough for you? God, Gale… All I wanted was to spend time with you. I haven't stopped thinking about you since we kissed at Capitol and now everytime I see you I get these stupid little butterflies in my stomach because you're the first person I ever kissed that I think I might have actually have…" Peeta stopped talking before he revealed something that even he wasn't sure he felt for Gale.

Gale furrowed his eyebrow and tilted his head slightly. "First person that you've kissed that you might actually have... What? You can't leave that there, Peeta."

Peeta turned and got out of the car. "It doesn't matter, Gale. I'm gonna go."

"I'll you at Katniss' party tomorrow though, yeah?" Gale asked.

Peeta just nodded his reply before turning and walking briskly away from the silver car. He heard Gale shout a goodbye from inside the car, but he ignored him. He just needed to get to Finnick's house quickly. The blond was so confused. He just had to stop himself from telling Gale that he had feelings for him, which was new knowledge to him. Peeta hadn't even considered that the butterflies he felt every time he spoke to Gale might be because he suddenly had feelings for him? No, he couldn't have feelings for Gale because he's one of his best friend's boyfriends. It would be wrong - not that kissing them twice isn't.

Peeta rounded a corner, thanking Finnick's parents for living so close to Gale's family. He hadn't noticed it until now, but it had become dark and cold all at once. The day had been warm so Peeta's clothing choices weren't exactly suited to the weather. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself and crossed his arms over his chest to hold it closed. Peeta sped up, not wanting to be out here much longer. He couldn't wait to talk to Finnick, and most likely kiss him for a while. His time with Gale had frustrated him to no ends and he was sure Finnick could help him work out his frustrations. If not, he would at least drive him home without the awkwardness that a ride home with Gale offered. Peeta turned onto Finnick's street and decided he should probably let him know that he was coming.

 **Peeta:** _Fin. I'm coming over. I'm annoyed and need to make out with something. I'll be there in 2 mins tops. xx_

 **Peeta:** _P.S. If you're wearing a t-shirt, take it off._

 **Finnick:** _You're lucky, Mellark. The plans I had for tonight got cancelled so I'm all yours._

Peeta pushed the shirtless swimmer up against the door to his bedroom. He ran hand down the toned abs of his best friend, feeling every defined curve. He pressed his lips to Finnick's neck, lightly nipping Finnick's skin. He heard Finnick groan from above him and he grinned. It had been less than twenty-four hours since he had last been in this position with his best friend, but he couldn't help it. He needed something to stop him from thinking about what had happened with Gale. He needed to stop thinking about what he might be feeling for Gale and it just so happened that Finnick was just the thing.

"You k-know… Peeta. When you said you were annoyed…" The bronze haired boy said between gasps of breath. "I expected you to come here and tell me every detail of what happened, not make me painfully hard and want to fuck your mouth."

Peeta pulled away from his assault on Finnick's neck and gave him a questioning look. "You'd rather I told you why I'm pissed off than suck you off?"

"Kinda, I mean being your best friend is more important to me than being your friend with benefits. So, sit on the bed and tell me what's up." Finnick said, pushing the blond towards the bed. They sat opposite each other, legs crossed. "So, what happened?" Finnick asked.

"Well, when I got back from home this morning, I got a text from Gale asking to hang out and I said yes which is how he ended up picking me up at like six thirty." Peeta began explaining.

"Wait, what? Why did you make me aware of this as soon as it was planned?" Finnick questioned eagerly, clinging onto every word Peeta said.

"I was going to text you, but I got so nervous and paranoid about him cancelling that I didn't tell anyone; just in case he did cancel." Peeta sighed, biting the nail of his middle finger. "Anyway, he ended up taking me to this lake which he said was his favourite place within an hours drive of where we live and he had packed a picnic and it was really sweet. But then we started talking about the kiss at Capitol and it kinda went downhill from there."

"Surely you guys talking about things is a good thing?" The bronze haired swimmer asked.

"You see, that's what I thought. But, it ended up with us making out again which probably isn't a great thing because of Madge." Peeta put his head in his hands. "Oh God, Finnick, I just never wanted to stop kissing him. It was perfect. He didn't show any signs of wanting to stop kissing, until Madge rang him that is."

"What did she say? Had she found out about the kiss?"

"No, worse. She invited him over to have sex while her parents are out and Gale said that he wasn't busy and would be over as soon as he could which obviously really pissed me off."

"That's fucked up, Peeta. I'm sorry." Finnick pulled the blond into a hug. "But just so you know, I would never stop making out with you to go fuck a girl."

Peeta laughed. "Thanks, Fin, that means a lot."

"You staying over again tonight?"

"No, thank you though. I've got an early morning shift tomorrow." Peeta kissed his friend on the cheek. "Will you give me a lift home?"

"Of course I will." Finnick stood and grabbed his keys off his bedside table. "I'll even drive shirtless, just for you."

Peeta laughed again, already feeling slightly better after having spent no more than twenty minutes with Finnick. "Wow, I am so honoured. By the way Fin, I'm sorry for making you painfully hard."

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter was a mess, I know! I'm very sorry! But, I wanted the tension between Gale and Peeta occur before the party which I'm sure you guys will be happy to know starts in the next chapter! But for any of you who are upset that there wasn't any proper Gale/Peeta action in this chapter, there will be some at the party ;) As always, thanks for reading and reviews are also welcome. :)


	11. Chapter 11

Peeta held the phone up to his ear, listening to it ring. He'd spent the whole night thinking about what had happened with Gale. He'd almost told Gale that he had feelings for him. That was something he hadn't even stopped to think about. It made a lot of sense. His heart fluttered and his stomach filled with butterflies whenever he saw. At first, Peeta thought it happened purely because he was scared people would find out about the kiss. But, when he thought about it, he realised that Gale had an effect on him even before the kiss. In the store cupboard at school while they were looking for paint, Gale reached over him and Peeta struggled to breath. In his car later that day, he'd been given the brunette's sweater and the baker had nearly outright refused to put it on because he was scared of reacting in the same way. Surely, there was no way he could've had feelings for Gale on the day they helped set up the dance. He'd spoken to him once before that day. Was it just that he had never been that close to a guy he subconsciously found attractive? That must have been it. That wasn't the point though. The point was that after a whole night of arguing with himself, he realised that there was no other solution. He was undoubtedly, inexplicably crushing on Gale and he needed to tell Finnick, urgently.

After four or five rings, Peeta couldn't be sure, the call went to voicemail. He hung up and the phone and typed out a message instead.

 **Peeta:** _S.O.S. Call me back ASAP xxx_

Peeta put his phone down next to him on the sofa and went back to watching the tv. His shift at the bakery had finished around half an hour ago and his brother had taken his place at the till downstairs. The blond had hoped that moving his shift so that is started and ended slightly earlier would mean that he just missed Gale's daily call for bread. But, Gale, for some unknown reason had to come and get his family's bread order early. Peeta hadn't noticed that he had entered the store until it was too late and Gale was at the counter, smiling at him. Peeta stared at him blankly, not really sure why the tall guy was here. What was worse is that he remembered every single word of their conversation:

" _What?" Peeta had said, feeling more bitter about being ditched after realising his feelings for Gale that night. He understood that Madge took priority, but he lied and said he wasn't doing anything. Was he jealous of Madge having priority? Of course he was. But, he was also angry that Gale had to lie about being with him as if it was some shameful secret._

 _Gale looked at him, shocked at his bluntness. "You're normally a bit more chipper towards customers, Princess." Peeta couldn't help but feel like he added the nickname Gale had coined the night before just to spite him. "I'm here to pick up my family's order, like I do everyday."_

" _I'll ask mum to get it ready. You can sit down while you wait." Peeta turned and popped his head through the door of the kitchen, telling his mum the order. When he returned to the counter, Gale was still there, waiting. "I said you can sit down."_

" _Look, Peeta, I'm sorry for what I did yesterday… I just, Madge likes to get her own way, you know that. I don't like upsetting her, so when she asks for something, I give it to her." Gale said, almost as if he were pleading with Peeta._

" _And you don't think…" Peeta lowered his voice before continuing his sentence. "... Making out with one of her best friends would upset her?" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I just don't understand why you had to lie to her about being busy?"_

 _Before Gale could give any kind of reply, Peeta's mother came out of the kitchen with the two loaves of bread. She smiled at Gale, handing them over to him. "Hello Gale, I'm sure Peeta could put these through the till for you."_

" _Actually mum, my shift is over so you're gonna have to. Sorry. I'll see you later, Gale."_

And with that, he had stormed straight up to the living room above the cafe, threw off his dirty apron and slumped onto the sofa. He switched on the TV and sat watching the first thing he found. He couldn't pay attention though. His mind was stuck on Gale and now he was stuck waiting for a reply from Finnick. When he felt the vibration of his phone through the sofa, he scrambled to pick it up.

 **Finnick:** _Sorry mate, you're gonna have to tell me over text. I'm not allowed to make calls while watching the pool. According to my boss, it's 'unsafe'. xxx_

 **Finnick:** _So, what's up? Do you miss my abs so much that you need me to come over? ;) xxx_

 **Peeta:** _No, this is serious! But, a quick snapchat of your abs would be highly appreciated. ;) xxx_

 **Finnick:** _Well, spill. I'm guessing it's to do with Gale? You'll get one when I'm on my break, Mellark. Don't say I never treat you to anything. ;) xxx_

 **Peeta:** _Of course it is, nothing else in happening in my life at the moment. Last night, I'd forgotten to tell you something quite important that almost happened between me and Gale._

 **Peeta:** _I never said you don't treat me. You've done plenty for me ;) xxx_

 **Finnick:** _Spill it already. I need to know. Your next message better explain all of it or there will not be a pretty little snapchat for you in 5 minutes times. xxx_

 **Peeta:** _Well, before I walked to your's from his house, he tried to apologise and obviously, I had a go at him and I had to stop myself from telling him I had feelings from him. Like, I really didn't mean to. I'd never even thought about the idea that I might have feelings for him. I didn't even think about it after I nearly said it. I just walked to yours and thought about anything I could. I think that's why I kissed you so quickly last night. I was trying to distract myself from the idea that I might have feelings for Gale._

 **Peeta:** _But there was nothing to distract me from it when I got home._

 **Peeta:** _I think I might have feelings for Gale._

 **Peeta:** _Like… Quite badly. That's why I get so nervous around him and why I got so angry when ditched me so quickly for Madge, for his girlfriend. I think I was jealous._

 **Finnick:** _Well shit, you've had a night of self discovery._

 **Peeta:** _Fin, I have a crush on Madge's boyfriend. What do I do?_

 **Finnick:** _Not gonna lie, Peet, I've never been in this position before. Does anyone else know apart from me? x_

 **Peeta:** _No, do you think I should tell someone else? Like Katniss? x_

 **Finnick:** _If you want. She'll probably offer you better advice. The best advice you're getting from me is plenty of hooking up with me to get over him ;) xxx_

 **Peeta:** _I think I'll talk to Katniss and get some better advice, but I'll definitely take your's into consideration. Maybe you'll get lucky at the party tonight. ;) xxx_

Peeta smiled at his conversation with Finnick. He wasn't thinking about Gale for once. But there was the problem of the party. Gale was going to be there and there was also going to be alcohol. Peeta didn't even want to think about what had happened last time those two things were combined. He definitely needed to talk to Katniss about what he should do. The blond was pretty sure he could trust her not to tell Madge, he'd told her things before. Why not now? Why not trust her with the most life changing secret he'd ever had? He was gay. Surely he could tell his best friends that?

He went to his room to change out of the clothes he had worn to work before sending a message to Katniss asking if he could come over to the her's until the party. When he got a yes from Katniss, Peeta packed the clothes he was wearing for the party into a backpack and headed down to the cafe to grab some pastries for he and Katniss to eat for a late lunch. Calling goodbye to his brother and mum in the kitchen, he picked up his keys off the counter top and left.

xxx

Peeta took two plates out of a cupboard in Katniss's kitchen and walked them over to the breakfast bar. He placed a pastry on each plate and sat on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. Katniss came over with two glasses filled with orange juice before sitting on the stool next to him.

"So he just took you home? Right there and then?" She asked, tearing off a small piece of pastry and eating it.

"Actually, I kind of forced him to. He said he was going to stay with me for a little bit before going over." Peeta answered, picking up his glass of juice. "I was just so annoyed at him for lying about being with me, that I suddenly couldn't stand being around him for longer than I had to."

"Right. So then, he stopped at his house quickly and you decided to walk from his to Finnick's house?" Katniss said, only continuing after she got a nod from Peeta to confirm what she had just recited was correct. "But before you left him, you had a go at him and nearly confessed having feelings for him - feelings that you hadn't even thought that you might have?"

"Exactly," Peeta said. He sipped his drink and continued to leave his pastry untouched. "And me being me, I stayed up for most of last night trying to figure out whether I did have feelings for him or not."

Katniss picked up the last piece of her pastry and popped it into her mouth. She chewed whilst she waited for Peeta to continue. When he didn't carry on talking, she sighed. "Well? Did you figure it out?"

"Oh yeah, I did." Peeta decided to now pick off a piece of pastry, purposefully putting off telling Katniss his feelings for Gale for as long as he could. Coming out wasn't as easy as he thought it was going to be. He didn't think Katniss was going to judge him for it or anything. It was just a lot harder to come up with the words than he thought. He swallowed his bite of pastry, but the lump in his throat remained. He looked over at Katniss, her eyes were fixed on him and filled with curiosity and worry. "I'm pretty sure I have feelings for Gale and not the kind of feelings I have for you and Finnick. I don't want him to be my friend. I just want him, Katniss. But Madge has him and that's why I freaked out on him so much, because I realised he has someone that he wants already. He's not gonna want me." Peeta paused again and ran a hand through his hair. "What am I gonna do Katniss?"

"I'm not really sure, Peeta." She reached over and pulled off a piece of Peeta's pastry, quickly eating it. "I am sure of two things though. One, this pastry is amazing and two, we're gonna have to make sure you and Gale are apart for as much of this party as possible. We both know what happened the last time you were drunk around each other and we don't want Madge to walk in on that, do we?"

"No, we really don't. I don't wanna have to explain that to a drunk Madge." Peeta laughed, sliding his pastry over to Katniss. "You can have my pastry if you so desire, Everdeen. But, only if I get your juice."

"Deal." Katniss chuckled along with him, passing him her glass of juice before digging into the pastry presented to her by the blonde. "By the way," The brunette said in between bites. "I hope you brought your party clothes with you because now that you're here, you're helping me get this place ready for a party."

Peeta mocked an annoyed sigh, a smile plastered to his face. "You're in luck. I anticipated that you'd sign me up for party prep as soon as I came over so I do in fact have my clothes." He finished off his own glass of juice and picked up Katniss's glass. "How is your mum even letting you have this party anyway?"

"She's on holiday with her boyfriend and doesn't know, that's how." Katniss pushed her empty plate away from her and stood up. "We better get going if we want to party proof this house. We also need to think of a way to barricade my mum's bedroom so that no one can go in."

Katniss walked out of the kitchen and Peeta heard her walk up the stairs. He grabbed his glass and followed her, chuckling. He was over the moon. He had told Katniss everything. She hadn't judged him or acted differently about him. Their conversation just carried on like normal and he had expected nothing less. It was Katniss after all. She wasn't the type to judge or dismiss people because of their preferences.

"Peeta! Hurry up!" Katniss called from upstairs. "We need to make the jelly shots so they set in time!"

"I'm coming!" He shouted back, laughing.

xxx

It was almost seven o'clock by the time they had completely party proofed the house and got into their clothes. People were due to arrive in half an hour and Peeta was stood in front of the mirror making sure his hair was perfect. He'd played it safe with his outfit, choosing to wear black skinny jeans and a pale blue shirt. He had rolled up the long sleeves so that they were just below his elbow. He could hear Katniss rushing around downstairs, hurrying to find all of the alcohol she had stashed away in various places in the house. He sighed, it seemed that his hair was not cooperating today. His hair was as good as he was going to get it, so he went downstairs to help Katniss look. Peeta walked into the kitchen to find all of the drinks gathered onto the breakfast bar already. Katniss was nowhere to be seen, so he went to the fridge to get out the jelly shots they had made previously. The blond moved them from the tray onto the breakfast bar which was clearly the designated place for alcohol. He arranged the flavours into a rainbow - strawberry, orange, lime, blue raspberry and grape.

There was a knock at the door and Peeta checked his phone. They weren't expecting anyone for another fifteen minutes. He saw Katniss rush past the door to the kitchen, obviously going to the front door to let in whoever it was. Peeta picked up a blue jelly shot and downed it quickly.

"Odair, of course. Who else would it be? You're early." Katniss stated. Peeta could almost hear the eye roll in her voice.

"Kitty Kat, don't act like you aren't overjoyed by my presence." Peeta heard Finnick say from the hallway.

"I'm not, but I know someone who will be." Katniss said to the bronze haired swimmer before leading him into the kitchen. Peeta smiled widely at the swimmer as he walked over to hug him. He'd seen him literally the day before, but it felt like it had been ages. Finnick placed a kiss on Peeta's neck as they pulled away from the hug.

"Guys? Could you leave the foreplay till after everyone is here and suitably drunk please?" Katniss muttered, picking up a shot of her own and using a straw to suck it up. "While I'm very happy you guys have discovered your sexualities, I'd rather you didn't start fucking on my kitchen counter whilst I'm still sober enough to care, at least use the bedroom."

"I'm very sorry, Everdeen," Finnick replied. "I forgot you were a prude." He held up a bottle of his own drink. "Now, where am I putting this?"

Peeta pointed over to the breakfast bar, kicking Finnick's bum as he walked away which earned a yelp of surprise from the more muscled boy. Peeta grinned over at Katniss who just rolled her eyes at their flirting.

"You know, boys, if no one else turns up and you carry on this flirting… I may have to kill at least one of you." Katniss announced, trying to hold back a smile. As if on cue, they saw the headlights of a car pull up outside the house through the kitchen window. Seconds later, there was a knock at the door.

"Let's get this started." Finnick said, a massive smile on his face.

xxx

Peeta had decided that Katniss was definitely a bad influence on him. Before the party, they had come to the conclusion that Peeta wouldn't drink too much because it would make it easier for him to avoid Gale. But Katniss didn't seem to remember that idea after a little bit of vodka. She had been giving Peeta jelly shot after jelly shot and Peeta had willingly accepted them. Katniss just seemed so happy after her jelly shots, surely Peeta deserved to be that happy? Although, saying it like that made it sound like it was Peeta being a bad influence on himself.

Whoever was the bad influence, Peeta now found himself sat on a kitchen counter, legs wrapped around Finnick's waist with Finnick's mouth on his neck. The blond was pretty sure that there were other people in the kitchen, but right now he didn't care. He hadn't run into Gale yet and Finnick's mouth was working as a very good distraction from his feelings for the tall brunette.

Finnick was now unbuttoning the top two buttons on Peeta's shirt. Now that more of Peeta's skin was on show, Finnick moved his lips to the baker's collarbone, nipping and sucking. Peeta knew that the swimmer was aiming to leave a mark. His hands snaked into the bronze hair and pulled Finnick up to his own lips again. Peeta's tongue swiped across Finnick's lips, asking for entrance. Finnick's lips parted instantly, allowing Peeta's tongue to slip into his mouth. The blond explored the now familiar space with his tongue, battling for dominance with Finnick. He rolled the bronze curls in between his fingers and tugged softly. Peeta pulled away from Finnick, smiling. His breathing heavy from kissing. Finnick chuckled at him, their faces still close and noses lightly brushing. The swimmer pressed a brief peck against Peeta's lips.

"Well, shit!" Madge exclaimed. "This is unexpected. When did you two start hooking up?"

"About two days ago…" Peeta giggled before realising what he said. His eyes widened and his hand flew up to his mouth.

"H-he means two minutes ago." Finnick slurred, smiling over at Madge.

"Anyway, sorry to interrupt your fun. But Katniss and Gale have declared a game of seven minutes in heaven and we all thought you two would want to take part." Madge said, walking over to them and pulling them apart. "They also told me to let you know that taking part is not optional."

Peeta sighed. "Fine, Madge. We're coming."

The three of them walked through to the living room where everyone was already sat in a circle around an empty bottle.

"Finally! Everyone's here." Gale called, grinning as they came in. Madge walked over to him and sitting down to his left. Gale's arm wrapped around her waist. Peeta scanned the circle. Finnick had already sat in the small gap next to Glimmer and was already flashing her one of his heart winning smirks. The only spaces left for him to sit were next to Foxface - the redheaded girl he didn't really know - and on the other side of Gale to Madge. Looks like he was going to get to know a certain redhead tonight. He walked over and sat next to her. She smiled at him. Peeta opened his mouth to introduce himself, but was interrupted by Katniss spinning to bottle to choose the first two people to have their 'Seven Minutes of Heaven'.

"So, the first person to go into the cupboard is…" Katniss span the bottle. Everyone watched it eagerly as it span. The room went silent as the bottle slowed. Though, everyone muttered quietly to people either side of them when it landed on Foxface. Peeta gave a sigh of relief, realising how close he was to being picked. "Foxface! Let's see who you are having some fun with tonight, spin the bottle!"

Peeta wished the small girl luck as she got up and span the bottle. Again, the room fell silent. The bottle stopped and Marvel stood up almost instantly. The tall guy smiled at the small redhead before taking her hand and leading her towards the specified making out closest. Everyone watched, stunned, as the two started kissing before Katniss had even closed the door on them. The room erupted into laughter and chatting as if there wasn't two people getting it on in the cupboard just to the left of the circle. The party went back to normal. Katniss walked over to Peeta and pulled him up by the hand.

"You need some more to drink, blondie!" She said into Peeta's ear over the music that blasted throughout the house.

"I dunno Katniss… I think I've had enough. I don't wanna get too sloppy and end up trying to make out with Gale right in front of Madge." Peeta said, trying to refuse but when Katniss pulled him towards the kitchen, he didn't resist. She let go of his hand as they entered the kitchen. He stood where he was as Katniss almost skipped towards the breakfast bar where there was still plenty of alcohol. He watched the brunette girl pour a mixture of lemonade and a dark liquid into two cups. She carried the cup over to Peeta and sipped her own.

"Come on, Foxface and Marvel must be nearly done. I don't wanna miss the next spin, Peeta. I'm kinda hoping it will land on you and some cute guy." The braided girl skipped past him and went to the living room. Peeta had forgotten how unlike herself Katniss got when she was drunk. He laughed and followed her into the living room, which seemed to have become the main room of the party.

Much to Peeta's surprise, Marvel and Foxface were already back from their time in the cupboard and Marvel was now sat next to her in the space he had previously occupied. He instead sat in Marvel's old place, wedged between Glimmer and a tall, blond boy he'd never spoken to before. The tall boy smiled at him and said something that Peeta couldn't hear over the music. Unfortunately, he could hear Glimmer scream at him as he sat down.

"Oh my gosh! Preston, you look so cute!" The head cheerleader pulled him towards and kissed him on both cheeks.

"My name's… Actually, it doesn't matter." Peeta rolled his eyes before complimenting her. "Thanks, so do you." Peeta shouted in return. He gulped down more of his drink. If he was gonna sit next to Little Miss Airhead for more than five minutes, he was gonna need more of this stuff.

"Time for the next spin, I think!" Shouted Madge over the music. Everybody cheered in response. As Madge walked into the middle of the circle, someone thankfully turned down the music instantly reducing the amount of noise in the room. Gale's girlfriend placed the bottle in the middle of the group and span it. Peeta's eyes followed it eagerly, he was both praying that it wouldn't land on him and praying that it would. As the bottle began to slow down, everybody got more impatient. There were shouts of who people wanted the bottle to land on. Peeta heard a lot of names all at once, he managed to pick his name being shouted by Finnick and Katniss. He also heard Gale shouting Madge's name. He couldn't help but let jealousy bubble up in his stomach. In hopes of quelling the unpleasant feeling, he drank more. Peeta really needed to get this crush under control before it ate away at him completely. He didn't think he'd be able to spend the rest of the summer seeing Gale and feeling like he needed to vomit just to get his emotions under control. Peeta had been so wrapped up in his thoughts about Gale that he didn't even realise the bottle had landed on him until Glimmer tapped him on the shoulder.

"Perry? It's your turn! Go spin to find out who's gonna be lucky enough to make out with you." Glimmer gave him a soft smile before she, not softly, pushed Peeta towards the centre of the circle.

Peeta looked around at everyone in the circle and grinned. He couldn't help but notice everyone's eyes on him. The baker's throat was suddenly very dry. Swallowing, he looked over at Katniss and Finnick. Both of them nodded at him, encouraging him to spin the bottle. Peeta swallowed the remaining contents of his drink. He felt the alcohol make the back of his throat tingle as he walked towards the bottle, wobbling slightly. Peeta threw his plastic cup to the floor as he bent down to spin the empty bottle. The blond turned away from the bottle as it spun. He didn't want to look at who it landed it.

After what felt like an age, the room went silent and Peeta assumed the bottle had stopped. He looked down at it and found that he was correct. He looked up at who the bottle had landed on. He met eyes with a smirking Gale. The butterflies in Peeta's stomach instantly flared up as the tall brunette began walking towards him, his hand outstretched to Peeta.

"Oh, shit." Katniss muttered from one side of the circle.

"This should be fun, Princess." the brunette whispered in Peeta's ear. Peeta let Gale lead him away to the cupboard where they were about to be locked in for seven minutes of 'heaven'. Peeta couldn't think of a word less suited than heaven to what he was about to go through.

* * *

Author's Note: I really do like leaving you guys on a cliff hanger ;) I hope you appreciate this extra long chapter! I know it's quite jumpy in terms of time but I didn't know how else to fill the time between Peeta telling Katniss and the start of the party. Sorry for any mistakes I've made, as always I'm writing this quite late at night. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and as always, reviews are very appreciated! :) x


	12. Chapter 12

Peeta gave Katniss a pleading look as she closed the door of the cupboard. He watched despairingly as she mouthed "Sorry." The door closed and he was left in the near darkness with the taller brunette stood behind him. The only light came from the thin sliver of space under the door, but that was no way near enough to help distinguish any shapes. The dark reminded the blond of when he had gone searching for the paint and had found Gale already in the store cupboard. The only differences were, there was a light in that store cupboard at school and he wasn't angry at Gale back then. In fact, he wasn't anything with Gale back then. He didn't have feelings for Gale back then. They weren't even friends. So much had changed in such a short amount of time, thinking about it made Peeta's head hurt or maybe that was the vodka?

Peeta found a hand on his hip. The door had been locked for two seconds and Gale clearly didn't want to waste any of their seven minutes of 'fun'. The blond shivered at the firm grip that Gale had on his hip. Peeta gasped softly as he was spun around by the strong boy behind him. He heard Gale chuckle and Peeta couldn't help but roll his eyes. Why did he let himself get locked in here with Gale?

"You're being very quiet, Princess." Gale whispered in Peeta's ear. He could feel the muscular man's breath on his neck.

"And you seem very eager to make out with me, considering your girlfriend is sat on the other side of this door." Peeta replied, stepping as far away from Gale as he could. His back pressed against the door of the cupboard.

"Peet, we literally have a free pass to make out as much as we want and you sound as if you're passing it up." Gale sighed. "Are you still pissed at me? Please, just tell me what happened to annoy you so much."

"You're kidding right? You told Madge you weren't busy!" Peeta's voice started as an almost whisper, but slowly began to rise in volume as he continued. "You were with me and you were kissing me. In my opinion, that makes you busy. Why couldn't you just tell Madge you were busy? Oh wait, it's because you wanted sex. You can have sex with Madge anytime you want."

"I-... Peeta, I didn't realise it."

"You didn't realise that ditching me to go fuck your girlfriend might upset me? You know, I thought it would be quite obvious." Peeta buried his face in his hands. "Oh god, how on earth hav-..."

Gale grabbed Peeta's shirt and pulled him towards him. Their lips met and Peeta's words instantly dissolved in his brain. His lips effortlessly moved into rhythm with Gale's. The blond's hands snaked into Gale's hair, tangling into the smooth strands. Peeta swiped his tongue along Gale's upper lip, wanting to take charge. Gale's lips parted, allowing the baker's tongue to explore Gale's mouth.

Peeta felt a hand run down his back, creeping ever closer to his ass. A moan drifted from the blond's lips as he felt Gale roughly grip the firm globe that made up Peeta's ass. With shivers running up and down his spine, Peeta pulled himself as far away from Gale as the brunette's strong grip would allow him. He tugged at the hem of the other's shirt, wanting so desperately to feel Gale's bare skin against his. Peeta began to unbutton the dark green material the clung to everyone of Gale's muscles. After a brief struggle and a small chuckle from Gale, Peeta opened the shirt to reveal what felt like chiseled and toned abs. For the first time since they had been locked in this cupboard, Peeta wished that there was a light in here. He wanted to see the abs as he ran his hands up and down them. Gale's hand moved from The baker's ass and began to unbutton the pale blue shirt that confined Peeta's own chest. Peeta knew in his mind that his body was in no way as impressive as Gale's, but right now he didn't really mind. All he needed was his skin to touch Gale's. Once Gale had tugged off the blue material, he grabbed the blond's ass again and pulled their bodies towards each other.

Peeta let out a small whine as his pale skin met Gale's olive toned abs. He felt the heat of Gale's touch spread across his skin like wildfire. Every kiss, lick, bite and nip that the brunette planted on Peeta's neck and collarbones felt like a spark of energy. Peeta hadn't felt like this with Finnick. Sure, he had had fun with the swimmer but his touch felt nothing like Gale's. It seemed almost as though Gale knew just where to touch Peeta to make him feel infinity and every single drop of heated infinity sent blood racing straight to Peeta's crotch.

Now almost painfully hard, Peeta began to grind his hips into Gale's, feeling the other boy's own erection against his own body. Peeta couldn't quite believe it when he felt it. Peeta, a complete virgin, had made Gale, a straight and taken guy, hard.

Peeta gasped when one of Gale's hands left his ass to palm at his clothed erection. The blond was certain that their seven minutes was almost over, but he couldn't stop now. The blond laced a hand into Gale's hair and guided his head away from his neck and to his lips. Peeta's whole body followed the rhythm he set with their kiss. He felt their bodies meld. They were one. In that single moment, they were no longer two people kissing, they were a storm. Hands explored every inch of bare skin, hips worked in tandem, the friction sending waves of pleasure running throughout both of the boys.

"Alright Guys! You have thirty seconds left!" Madge hollered from the other side of the door. Both of the boys stopped their actions instantly. Their bodies still entwined and their foreheads resting against each other, they both started to chuckle.

"Well, Princess, that was certainly a lot of fun… While it lasted." Gale muttered with a chuckled.

Peeta smiled. He could feel Gale's warm breath against his skin. In fact, all he could feel was Gale. Their bodies were pressed together, surges of tenderness and warmth rippling from one to the other. Peeta couldn't help but think this is how their trip to the lake may have ended had Gale not unintentionally cut it short. His smile faded. "I don't wanna go out there, Gale. Can't we just stay in here all night? Just us two?" The blond whispered, a hand running down Gale's chest.

"I wish, Peety. After that, I don't really want to go out there either but we have to I'm afraid." Gale cupped Peeta's face and pressed a quick peck upon the blond's lips before bending down to pick up both of their shirts. As Peeta did up the last button of his shirt, they heard the door unlock and open a crack.

"Are you both decent?" They heard Madge call in as she poked her head into the dark space.

"Of course we are, Honey." Gale said, moving past Peeta, towards the petite blonde stood in the doorway. "I only cheated on you a little bit."

"I'm glad, baby." Madge replied, wrapping her arms around the brunette man's neck. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a chaste kiss against Gale's lips. A pang of jealousy ran through Peeta. He couldn't help but be jealous of Madge. She got to kiss those soft lips whenever she wanted. All Peeta got was secret, chaste kisses and brief glances from across the room. He wanted Gale. He wanted all that Madge had.

As all three of them moved back into the living room, Madge leading the way. Gale looked over at Peeta, giving him a soft smile that Peeta couldn't help but return. He was completely and utterly sure that if Gale asked him to do anything for him right now, he would do it. The blond was completely infatuated with his new friend and while he had spent the whole day wishing the feelings to go away, they just wouldn't shake.

xxx

After only a more couple of rounds of couples, people were starting to get bored of seven minutes in heaven. Finnick had apparently run off during Peeta and Gale's time in the cupboard and more and more people were joining him by the second. Katniss eventually called the game off and everyone slowly began to start their own conversations.

Peeta turned to Katniss, nodding towards the kitchen. "Come with me to get another drink?" He asked, ignoring the fact that he had a cup in his hand that was well over half full. Without even questioning it, Katniss stood and made her way through to the kitchen with him.

Despite all the drink being stashed in the well lit room, the kitchen was a lot quieter than the living room. Only one person was pouring themselves a drink and a couple were pressed against the fridge, making out avidly. Katniss and Peeta stood leaning against the kitchen worktop, both clasping a drink in their hands. Neither of them said anything for a couple of moments, giving themselves a moment of peace that was only broken by the sounds coming from the couple that seemed to be enjoying each other's company a little too much. Peeta couldn't help but watch the two people kiss. No more than fifteen minutes ago, he'd been doing that with Gale in a dark room and now he was in an almost empty kitchen, whilst Gale was making out with the blond's best friend.

"So, what's up?" Katniss asked, breaking the quiet.

"What do you mean?" Peeta replied.

"You have a full cup of drink and you asked me if I wanted to get another drink with you, so clearly there was something else you wanted to talk about." Katniss said matter-of-factly.

Peeta sighed. Of course there was something else he wanted to talk about. He had just spent seven perfect minutes kissing the guy he had very suddenly developed feelings for. Peeta should feel overjoyed and yet, he felt like crap. "It was amazing, Kat… With Gale, I mean. At first, he touched my hip and that pissed me off, so I started laying into him about how angry I was about what happened the other night. Then… He just pulled me towards him and kissed me. That's all it took. That's all he had to do to make all my anger melt away."

"He kissed you first? Well, that's good isn't it?" Katniss said, taking a sip of her drink. "It kinda seems to me like he might feel the same way about you that you do about him."

"Yeah, and it was good - mind blowingly so and I'd be insanely happy right now if that's where we left it. But, that's just it… It had to end and he went crawling back to Madge instantly. I just don't understand how he can switch between me and Madge so quickly."

"I know this must suck for you. I mean, the first guy you get feelings for and he's fucking you about." Katniss reached out and rested a hand on Peeta's bicep in an attempt to comfort him. Peeta smiled at her sadly. He turned and grabbed a bottle of bright green liquid, pouring about a shot's worth into a plastic cup before filling the rest of the cup with lemonade. The blond noticed Katniss craning her neck to look through into the living room. Peeta could tell that she was getting

"Anyway, Everdeen, you better get back to your guests… You know, to make sure they don't break anything or throw up anywhere they shouldn't." Peeta said, following Katniss's gaze into the room filled with people.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Katniss asked.

"I'll be fine, I have plenty of this green shit to keep me going." Peeta smiled, holding up the bottle in one hand and his cup in the other. "Go control the masses."

Katniss pulled the baker into a tight hug and ran quickly out into the living room. Sipping on his cup and still carrying the bottle, Peeta walked out of the kitchen as well. Instead of following Katniss into the living, he turned left, hoping to find someone to talk to. He didn't want to sit in a room with Madge and Gale, not when they were together. It's not that he had anything against Madge. She just had what he wanted and he couldn't stand seeing her have it.

After making a round of the lower floor of the house, Peeta perched on the bottom step. Apart from the occasional couple enthralled in their kissing, all the rooms were empty apart from the living room. Music pounded from the speakers in the living, filling the whole house with the dull thudding of the music's bassline. Someone had obviously turned the music back up when the game of Seven Minutes in heaven had finished. The blond had long before finished his cup and was now swigging the sweetly sour drink from the bottle. He had decided that his mood had hit a low. Too jealous of his best friend and her boyfriend to sit with everyone in the living room, Peeta now sat on a step with nothing but his thoughts to accompany him. What's more, he had no clue where Finnick was. The swimmer had disappeared during Peeta's time in the cupboard and Peeta hadn't seen him on his journey around Katniss's house. Just as he was about to go and look for Finnick upstairs, Gale came out of the door to living room, clearly going to get another beer from the kitchen. The tall brunette stopped at the sight of Peeta alone on the stairs.

"Why's the princess not enjoying the party?" Gale said, leaning against the doorway of the kitchen.

"I am, I'm enjoying the party just fine." Peeta replied, slurring the last couple words. He felt the drink finally taking a hold of his body. His head felt heavy, like his neck suddenly couldn't support his head. The blond gave into his feelings and let his head droop, looking down at the bottle in his hand - now almost empty. "I'm definitely enjoying this nice bottle of green… shit."

"Sounds like you're having your own party on the stairs, I'm a little jealous." Gale chuckled at the blond's almost lethargic movements and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm gonna go get another drink, but when I come back… Can we maybe have a party upstairs? Just us two…"

"Why, so we can make out again just so you can leave me instantly for Madge? I mean you've done it twice already. Why not again?" Peeta said. He knew, even in his drunk state, that his words were coming across as completely passive aggressive. The blond didn't mind, the longer he was angry at Gale, the less he wanted to kiss him.

"No, actually, I was thinking I could talk to you about something." Gale said, peering through to the living room. "Uh, something we shouldn't really talk about here."

"Fine." Peeta smiled up at the brunette and shook his head. "Yeah, I guess I can spare some more of my time for you."

xxx

Peeta let himself be led up the stairs by the muscular brunette. Whatever Gale wanted to talk about, Peeta wasn't really sure whether he could answer it right now. Every step was harder and harder for him to take. It felt like weights were being added to the bottom of his shoes. His brain was foggy, the blond couldn't quite form a coherent thought in his mind. He was certain of two things though. One, Gale's ass looked amazing when he walked and two, Peeta had the uncontrollable urge to laugh. Not quite sure what he found funny, Peeta decided that biting his lip to stop the laughter would probably be better than having to make up a story about what was making him laugh so much. They reached the top of the stairs and Gale grabbed Peeta's hand, now free after leaving his empty cup on the bottom stair. He let the brunette lead him into Katniss's dark bedroom. Peeta flipped the lightswitch. Surprisingly, there was no couples fooling around in the double bed that stood against the far wall. Peeta stumbled his way over to the bed, perching on the edge of the soft mattress. He watched as Gale closed the door to the bedroom and moved to lean against the set of drawers that faced the bed.

"So, Hawthorne? What you gotta say that's so important I had to be dragged away from my party of one?" Peeta asked, gesturing at the bottle that was fueling his party.

"Actually, Mellark… I wanted to ask you something." Gale replied, clutching a beer in one hand and drumming the fingers of the other against the chest of drawers. "Then, the important thing I have to say will be based on your answer."

"Well, ask away! I am all ears." Peeta gestured with his hands as he spoke, waving them around wildly. As he spoke, he knew he was holding words on for longer than he would usually and while he didn't really want to, he couldn't help it.

"There's no easy way to ask this. But… Do you have feelings for me?" Gale asked, eyebrows furrowing as he spoke, making it seem almost as if he didn't want to ask the question. "Like… Any feelings at all that make you see me as more than a friend?"

Peeta sat up straight almost instantly. Even in his foggy mind, he knew he had to answer this carefully. The blond wished instantly the he had Finnick or Katniss with him right now to help him form a coherent sentence that wouldn't land him in trouble tomorrow morning.

"You know what, Gale. I…" Peeta paused to hiccup, which caused him to giggle. He couldn't help it, the noise just sounded so _weird_. He knew Gale was waiting for an answer and he was trying so hard to stifle the giggles, but they wouldn't stop.

"Peeta… Please, I just need a yes or a no."

Peeta held his breath, hoping that would stop the need to laugh. When he felt the urge disappear, he gasped for breath. It had worked to stop the laughter, but he still had no idea what he was going to say to Gale. He didn't want to tell him the truth in case Gale was weirded out by it. But then again, what if Gale had brought him up here to tell him that he had feelings for Peeta, but decided not to tell him because Peeta lied about having feelings for him? He sighed dramatically. The blond needed to decide whether he wanted to put the slight possibility of Gale liking him back above the happiness of Gale and Madge. The pair were clearly happy together, why should he potentially ruin that? He was happy enough on his own.

"No," Peeta finally announced, forcing himself to chuckle through his lie. "I don't have feelings for you Gale… Kissing you is just a bit of fun, you know?" The blond heard Gale sigh with relief and he looked up to see the brunette actually looking _relieved_.

"Oh thank God, I didn't want you thinking this was anything but casual. Like, I didn't wanna end up leading you on."

Peeta couldn't believe what he was hearing. Leading him on? What the fuck did Gale think he was doing?

"I mean, yeah, doing this stuff with you has been fun and stuff. But, I'm really happy with Madge and I don't wanna ruin it with her." Gale smiled at the blond boy on the bed. "And so I don't ruin it, I think we should probably stop the fun we're having. Don't get me wrong, it's been fun, but if Madge found she'd be heartbroken. I was a little worried about telling you this but now I know you don't have feelings for me, it made it pretty easy."

"Yeah, don't worry about it, Mate." Peeta said, forcing himself to flash a grin at Gale. "I totally get it."

"Thanks Peeta, you don't understand how much this helped me." Gale stood up straight. "Anyway, I best be getting back to the party and my girlfriend. You coming?"

"Uh…" Peeta shook his head, biting his lip to stop it from quivering. He could feel tears coming. He had to get Gale out of the room. "Nah, I might stay here for a bit. You know, until I can walk without having to lean against the wall for support."

"Good idea mate, I'll see you in a bit." Gale said, nodding at Peeta as he walked towards the closed door before adding, "Thanks again for understanding, Peeta."

"No problem." Peeta smiled. "Oh and Gale? If you see Finnick, will you send him up here? Thanks."

Gale nodded and then, he was gone. He had left the blond there alone just like that. Peeta rested the bottle in his hand on the bed next to him and ran both of his hands through his hair. He let out a breathy sigh, feeling tears well up in his eyes. God, he just wanted Finnick. The swimmer would know what to say to make him forget everything that ever happened with Gale. Because right now, that's all he wanted to do. He wanted to forget. He felt so stupid for letting himself fall for the first guy to kiss him. Gale had just made him feel so wanted and Peeta had fallen for it. He'd played right into the trap, just to be dropped as soon as Gale felt that things were getting too far away from casual for his liking. Peeta wiped his tears off his cheeks furiously.

Casual? That's all he had been to Gale. Someone to call up whenever he needed a quick fix. What was even worse was that the whole time, deep down, Peeta knew that that's all Gale wanted and he had been alright with it. He had been completely casual for Gale and he didn't mind it. He even liked it at the time. It had made him feel alive. Now, all he felt was angry for letting himself get played like that and the insatiable urge to drink until he couldn't remember Gale's name.

The door swung of Katniss's room swung open again. Peeta looked up to see Finnick stood in the doorway, a grin plastered to his face.

"Hey, Mellark. Gale said you needed me." The bronze haired boy's smile faded when he noticed Peeta's red puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks. The swimmer moved instantly towards his crying friend. "What's that bastard done now, Mellark?"

* * *

Author's Note: I am so sorry this took so long! With Christmas and exams to revise for, I just haven't been able to find time to write. Anyway, I've finally written another chapter. It's not great, but everything that I wanted to happen, happened. I really appreciate all the reviews and views I get on this story. Thank you all so much for your support and attention.

As always, reviews and advice are very much appreciated! Thanks for reading. :)


	13. Chapter 13

"Shh, Mellark…" Finnick and Peeta were laid on Katniss's bed. The swimmer had pulled the blond close to him and was now trying to get the sobbing boy to stop crying. "He is so not worth it, Peet. If he doesn't appreciate someone like you, he wasn't anywhere near what you deserve."

"You're making it sound like we've gone through a breakup, Fin." Peeta managed between sobs. He sniffed, letting Finnick wipe the tears from his cheeks. "In fact, we went through quite the opposite… He stopped it before it developed into a break up. I knew he wouldn't have feelings for me. I don't know why I even hoped he would. He has Madge and Madge is pretty and smart and wonderful. I love her to pieces. I dunno why he wouldn't."

"Peeta, you're all of those things too. Gale just wasn't smart enough to see that." Finnick replied, pulling the blond even closer to him and rubbing a hand softly on his back in an attempt to comfort Peeta.

"It's not that I want him to break up with Madge for me… Because that would tear Madge apart. She likes him so much and they seem happy, don't they?" Peeta sighed, deep down he knew that Gale had done the right thing. "Maybe Gale calling the whole thing off was for the best. I mean, this way, there is less chance of him breaking Madge's heart. So, they'll both be happy. Me… I'll get over him soon. It's a crush that occurred over a couple of days. It's not gonna last for long."

"You're right. It probably was for the best, Mellark. But you're allowed to be upset. You liked him and he fucked you around, even if he didn't mean to." Finnick kissed his friend's cheek. "Just don't let your feelings get the better of you, yeah? Don't start avoiding Gale or Madge just because it hurts… You just gotta power through it. The more you get used them being around you, the quicker it will become normal for you."

Peeta looked up at Finnick, slightly shocked at the advice the bronze haired boy was giving him. "Jesus, Fin… When did you suddenly give good advice? Are you sure you aren't Katniss in disguise?"

Finnick chuckled, gently shoving Peeta. "Hey, I'm just being sensitive. I thought that'd work better than trying to make out with you until you forgot about him."

"You were right about that, Fin." Peeta laughed along with the swimmer. He wiped the tears out of his eyes and pulled away from Finnick's embrace. "I definitely needed empathy and not an increase in my libido right now. But, you never know… The night's still young. You might still get a few kisses."

"And whoever said good guys never win?" Finnick smiled at the blond, glad that he had stopped crying. "I was sensitive once and some action is still on the table."

"Don't ruin it, Odair, the chance of action lessens every time you say something like that." Peeta clambered off the bed and moved towards the mirror on Katniss's dresser. While he didn't move with his normal composure, Peeta was no way as drunk as he had been when he had entered the bedroom. It turns out twenty minutes of solid crying could sober you up quite quickly. The blond looked at himself in the mirror. Unfortunately, twenty minutes of solid crying left an obvious mark on your face. His eyes were puffy, his cheeks were red and his nose was running. He looked like crap. "Anyway, we better get back to the party. Katniss will be wondering where we are. You go down, make sure she isn't too pissed off at us for abandoning her. I'll join you in a minute. I'm just gonna see if I can sort out my appearance a little."

Finnick appeared behind Peeta. The blond could see the swimmer smiling at him in the mirror. "Alright, Mellark. I'll see you down there. But just for the record, you still look adorable as ever." Finnick pressed a chaste kiss on Peeta's cheek before leaving the room.

Peeta sighed at himself in the mirror. He knew it wasn't going to be easy to face Gale again. It was quite obvious that the brunette and his girlfriend were going to be draped all over each other in the living room downstairs. But, as Finnick had said, he just had to power through it and the more he saw them together, the quicker his crush would disappear.

Peeta walked to the bathroom, which like Katniss's bedroom was surprisingly empty. The boy had expected to find a locked door for him to bang on, demanding the person inside let him pee. But, he could hear yelps of excitement and elated laughs coming from the living room below. Considering how empty the rest of the house was, Peeta guessed Katniss had started up some type of game that she was no doubt forcing everyone to take part in.

Peeta pulled the cord of the light switch. The bulb flickered before illuminating the room. The bathroom light was considerably brighter than the one in Katniss's bedroom and Peeta couldn't help but groan when he saw his reflection. Not only were his eyes puffy, they were bloodshot as well. As soon as people saw him, they would know instantly that he had been crying. As hard as he wished though, there was nothing he could do about it. He turned on the cold tap, letting the water run for a couple of seconds to let it cool down. The blond held his fingers under the water, waiting until it was cold enough to make his fingers feel numb. Once he deemed the water cold enough, he cupped his hands together and let them fill up. He leant down to his hands and splashed the water over his face, praying the cold water lessened the red tint of his cheeks and the puffiness of his eyes.

The baker looked into the mirror, while the change in the rosiness of his cheeks wasn't drastic, the colour was definitely more pink than red now. He repeated the process multiple more times, each time checking his face in the mirror. When it was clear the water had done all it could to make him look more presentable, he turned the tap off and dried off his face with the towel that hung next to the shower.

Peeta sighed again for what felt like the one hundredth time since he had stopped sobbing. He stood still and silent for a couple of seconds, thinking over what had happened in the last half an hour or so. Gale had asked him upstairs for what Peeta thought was going to be another session of intense making out, but turned out to be him telling the blond that there would be no more making out at all. Of course, with his newly discovered feelings that both pissed off Peeta and upset him. That's when Finnick and entered and Peeta broke down. Thinking over it helped, each time he thought about what Gale had said to him, the desire to cry over the brunette was smaller. Had he finally gained enough composure to go back downstairs?

There was a pounding on the door and a voice slurring about letting them in so that they could piss.

"Wait a second!" Peeta called back. He swiftly unlocked the door and swung it open, revealing the tall blond guy he had sat next to for spin the bottle. The baker smiled at the stranger. "Sorry, I was just finished in there."

"That's alright, I didn't mean to sound impatient or anything. I just really needed a piss." The tall guy moved past Peeta into the bathroom, not even waiting for the baker to leave before unzipping his fly and using the toilet.

"Uh…" Peeta awkwardly muttered. "I'll leave you to it then. Want me to close the door?"

"Nah, that's alright. You can stay. I'm almost done." The rather muscled guy said, before doing his trousers up and flushing the toilet. "See? I just need to wash my hands then it's all yours again."

"I was done. Don't worry, I don't need it back." Peeta realised he didn't actually know this guy's name and he had gone to the toilet with him. He hadn't even done that with Finnick and while Madge and Katniss seemed to find it quite normal to go to the toilet together, Peeta found it weird. "I'm Peeta, by the way."

The tall boy shook the water off his hands, looking around for a towel to dry them on. "I thought your name was Preston? That's what Glimmer called you earlier anyway."

"Yeah, she seems to call me anything but my name." Peeta laughs. "Preston is probably the closest she's ever been to Peeta."

"Well, we all know Glimmer - all looks and not much brains." The taller blond held out his hand for Peeta to shake. "It's lovely to meet you Peeta. I'm Cato."

Peeta shook the blond's hand, smiling at him. "You seem a little too formal for a party. Are you still sober?"

"No, I've had plenty to drink. I just know how to handle myself around cute guys like yourself." Cato answered with a wink.

The baker laughed softly. "Cute?"

"Yeah, I mean… You're cute for a guy." Cato laughed with Peeta.

"For a guy?" Peeta smiled down at his feet. "You see, I don't know whether that's a compliment or not."

"Peeta, it's definitely a compliment. I've never actually complimented a guy, so I'm not sure if I'm doing it right..." Cato confessed, lifting his hand to nervously rub the back of his neck. "I've never done anything with a guy actually."

"Well, I have a feeling that you have done something with a guy." Peeta smiled, knowing that what he was about to say was completely stupid and was he in his right mind, Peeta was sure he wouldn't be saying this. "I mean, you're talking to me - a guy - and… Well, talking is a thing. Therefore, you've done something with a guy."

"I guess you have a point." Cato considered the absolute bullshit Peeta had made up for a moment. "But, I don't think either of us should go around shouting that I've done stuff with a guy, if that's okay with you." The taller blond laughed at his own joke.

Peeta heard Finnick call his name from downstairs and sighed. "Unfortunately, Mr. Cato, that is my cue to leave you and revisit the party before I am too sorely missed. Nice talking to you."

Peeta heard a reply come from Cato's lips but Peeta was already focusing on not falling down the stairs in his drunken state to register it. Downstairs, the party was still in full swing. A mix of girls and boys were dancing and jumping in the living room to the loud and bassy song blasting through the speakers. Everywhere you looked there were groups of people sat on any surface they could, whispering in each other's ears and getting too close to each other. Peeta staggered into the kitchen, which was considerably lighter than the rest of the house and it was empty. He cleared his throat at a couple sat on the counter, motioning for them to move. The clambered out of his way and the blond reached for a mug out of the cupboard. Turning on the tap, Peeta let the water run for a while to let it grow colder before filling the mug.

"There you are!" Finnick entered the kitchen as Peeta began to sip on his water. "I was starting to think you had locked yourself in the bathroom. I was seriously contemplating kicking the door."

Peeta smiled at his bronze haired friend. "I'm fine, Odair, no need to lay on the drama. I think I'm gonna have a couple more cups of water and then I might walk home."

"You can't go home yet, Peet! The party's only just started and…" Finnick leaned closer and lowered his voice. "I thought we could show Gale what he was missing." The swimmer winked at the blond.

"While the idea of tangling my hands in your hair while you go down on me sounds really tempting right now, Odair… I'm not really in the right state to show Gale what he's missing."

"Okay, well do you want me to walk you home?"

"No, thanks though, Fin. I think I'll be fine." Peeta took another sip of water. "Now, go enjoy the party. I'm sure Katniss will be looking for you somewhere."

"Actually, Katniss is kinda busy with that Aaron guy in the office." Finnick replied, a smirk on his face. "I accidentally walked in on them while I was looking for you."

The baker laughed. "At least she's having fun and not worrying about things too much which, by the way, is what you should be doing." He pointed at the door leading to the living room. "Go."

Finnick huffed in mock annoyance, quickly pressed his lips against Peeta's and swept out of the room. Peeta watched him go and smiled, his friend swaying slightly with his hand running along the wall to steady himself as much as possible. Peeta was now alone. Raising the mug to his lips once more, he swiftly finished off the rest of the water. A loud giggle announced that another person had entered the kitchen, the baker looked up to find Madge hanging off Gale who was practically dragging both of them to the still surprisingly large collection of drink. Peeta rolled his eyes and hoped that if he stayed quiet enough they wouldn't notice him. He placed his mug on countertop next to the sink and began to slowly move out of the kitchen.

"Peety! Have you been here the whole time?" Madge called out to him. Peeta cursed his loud footfalls in his head and turned to face his blonde friend, with the most real looking smile that he could muster plastered on his face.

"Yeah, I was now leaving though, so don't stop on my accord." Peeta answered, trying his best not to look at Gale while he spoke to Madge.

"No, it's fine I was just getting a drink, we'll be out of here in no time." Gale said, the brunette being forced to reply because Madge had latched her lips against his neck. Gale smiled, but Peeta just rolled his eyes in return, knowing Madge wouldn't see and therefore wouldn't ask questions.

"I meant I was leaving the party, not the room. So, honestly, take as much time in here as you want." Peeta turned and left, heading to the front door. He grabbed his jacket from the coat stand and stepped outside. Once the door had shut behind him, the noise from the party instantly dulled. Peeta began to walk, pulling his jacket tight around him. Katniss's house wasn't too far from his own and all he could think about was being home, in his own bed.

xxx

Peeta groaned and buried face deeper into his pillow. It was 10:30am on his day off and someone had been calling him non-stop since 10:17am. He hadn't bothered to even look who it was because he knew it would be either Finnick, Katniss or Madge wanting to know why he had left the party at 11:34pm rather than staying the night like he had said he would. He didn't really feel like recounting the previous night's events to Katniss. He didn't feel like talking more about Gale to Finnick and he definitely did not want to lie to Madge about what had happened. His phone stopped vibrating and Peeta decided it was finally safe to check who it was. The blond reached out blindly for his phone on his nightstand. He pressed the home button and found the following notifications on his homescreen:

 _(10) Missed Calls_

 _(3) Text Messages_

He unlocked his phone and found that both Katniss and Peeta had both rung him four times each and Gale, of all people, had rang him twice. Looking at the times of the calls though, it was Katniss's calls that had woken him up. Finnick had rang him about an hour ago, which Peeta found weird until he realised that Finnick had work today. What really struck Peeta as weird was that Gale had even called him at all considering what had happened at the party. Both calls had come through at 12:21am, meaning that Gale had called him whilst he was still at the party. Had Peeta have been awake, he probably would have picked up but he had crawled into bed at 12:02 and was probably sound asleep within five minutes. He opened the text messages, knowing that they were likely to be from the same people as the calls.

 **Finnick:** _I'm guessing you're not awake seeing as you aren't answering my calls. Just wanted to know whether you'll be joining me while I'm lifeguarding at the pool today. I've already managed to get Katniss to agree. If you're coming, be here at 12:30 xxx_

 **Katniss:** _Where'd you go last night? Finnick said you'd walked home. You should've said goodbye first! Hope you're coming to the pool so I'm not alone with Odair. x_

Peeta typed out a reply to both of them, letting them know he would join them at the pool in a couple of hours after he'd eaten, hydrated and taken as much aspirin as he was allowed. The only message left to open was Gale's.

 **Gale:** _hope yu didnt leave becuse of what happend between us tonigh, i stil like you. had a lot of fun with you. just don't wanna be the guy that leads someon whil in a relationship. hope we can tlk tomoroww xxx_

Peeta couldn't help but smile at the awful spelling in Gale's message, but he really did not want to talk to Gale tomorrow - well, technically today. He didn't want to even see Gale for as long as possible. Peeta was also pretty sure that Gale had already lead him on considering that he had feelings for the idiot. Though, Gale didn't know that so he obviously thought he hadn't lead him on yet. Peeta sighed, locked his phone and placed it back on his night stand. If he had any hopes of recovering from his hangover in time to go to the pool in two hours, he needed to get up and shower now.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, this chapter took ages! I've been incredibly bad at keeping this story up to date recently and I apologise profusely. Now that the production I was in had finished, I should be writing chapters a lot more quickly. As I normally say, sorry for any mistakes in spelling/grammar. I hope you enjoy this chapter and reviews are always appreciated! :)


	14. Chapter 14

"I mean, I think castrating him is the only way forward." Katniss said, lazily stirring a straw around her glass of lemonade. Peeta and Katniss were laying on two sunbeds at the base of Finnick's lifeguard chair. The sun was sweltering and Peeta was dying to get into the pool, but Katniss refused to let him until they had thought of an apt way to get back at Gale.

"I really don't think we need to get back at him, Katniss." Peeta sighed, he didn't see the point in punishing Gale for wanting to be with Madge, the person he was actually dating. "If you think I about he did the writing thing. He stopped it to be with his girlfriend, which is quite noble of him."

"You aren't thinking about the benefits of castration, Peet." Katniss sat up to look at Peeta, she lowered her sunglasses so that her eyes were visible. "If we did it, he couldn't lead on anyone else and he couldn't cheat on Madge. That way, both people like you and his girlfriend won't get hurt anymore than they already have."

"That would definitely be nice but, if we have to get back at him, there must be an easier and less harmful way to do it." Peeta admitted, sipping his own diet coke before digging his phone out of his bag. "By the way, I forgot to say… He messaged me last night after I left. The spelling is hideous, so I'm assuming he was still pissed."

Katniss snatched the phone off of him to read the text, her eyes squinting slightly each time she got to a misspelled word. They sat in silence while she processed the information. Peeta copied Katniss's earlier action of stirring around the ice in his drink. "Even after he's said he doesn't wanna fuck you over, he's still fucking you over! 'I still like you'? What's the supposed to mean, as a friend? Or is he saying he has feelings for you?"

"They were all the questions I asked myself this morning when I read it." Peeta agreed.

"Are you gonna take him up on his offer of talking today? Personally, I think you should. It will give you a chance to tell him about how he's already lead you on and that kissing someone multiple times will usually lead them on." Katniss pointed out. Peeta was starting to think she had been more emotionally invested in his "relationship" with Gale that he was.

"I'll talk to him if he turns up, but I'm not gonna go out of my way to come face to face with someone who made me cry." Peeta said, instantly regretting it as he watched as Katniss reached for her own phone. "Hey! That's doesn't mean you can invite him here just so I have to confront him."

Katniss chuckled and continued to type away at her phone. "I'm not inviting Gale, I'm inviting Madge. I feel like we haven't seen her for a while… I mean, if she just happens to bring Gale along with her, then all the better."

"You love to stir, don't you?" Peeta muttered, rolling his eyes.

"It's a hobby of mine." Katniss said, her chuckle growing into a laugh. Peeta heard Finnick join in with her laughter from above.

"Don't worry about the situation too much, Peet." Finnick advised from above. "But, if you do want to worry about something, then you could start worrying about my hydration and go and get me a drink from the bar." Peeta looked up at the lifeguard to see him giving him the biggest puppy dog eyes he had ever seen on his friend and holding out a five dollar bill.

"Fine, but you're buying me a drink as well." Peeta sighed, taking the money from the bronze haired guy and standing up.

Not only did the hideously hot day mean that almost everyone in town seemed to be at the pool, everyone also appeared to choose to buy a drink at the same time as Peeta. He was stood in line for what seemed like five hours, but was probably only ten minutes at the most. Now, he was finally just one customer away from the bar and all he wanted was a drink and to get into the pool. The baker ran a hand through his hair and adjusted the sunglasses on his face with his other. When it was finally his turn, he stepped forward, eyes on the menu above the bar.

"Can I have one mango and pineapple smoothie and one lemonade, please?" Peeta asked, digging into his pocket for the money Finnick had given him.

"Anything for you, blondie." Said a familiar voice from behind the bar. Peeta looked up to see Gale smiling back at him. "That'll be three dollars and fifty cents."

"What are you doing here?" Peeta asked, not bothering to try and hide the bitterness in his voice as he handed over the money.

"Woah, someone's a bit hostile today." Gale joked, adding three ice cubes to a glass and filling it with lemonade from a soda tap. "Not feeling great after the amount you drank yesterday?"

Peeta hesitated before replying, "You could say that." He'd forgotten that Gale was unaware of his anger towards him after the events of last night. "How long have you worked here?"

"Well, I hope a day by the pool helps you feel better." The brunette had pushed the lemonade Peeta's way and was now blending the ice, yoghurt and fruit for the smoothie. "I've worked here since the start of the summer. You just only seem to come here on my days off." There was a pause. "It was probably for the best, wouldn't have been able to keep my hands of that shirtless body of yours."

Peeta rolled his eyes, the simple statement annoying him further. "It's a good thing you've got Madge then, isn't it? Because you've decided you don't want me anymore." With that, the blond picked up the drinks and stormed away. The brunette stood there, mouth agape and speechless.

xxx

An absolute joke, that's what Gale must think of him. Nothing but a blond toy to replace his girlfriend when she wasn't around. Peeta dropped the piece of dough he was about to work on particularly roughly on the work top table.

"Peety, chill. What did that dough ever do to you?" His brother Elijah asked, jokingly. They had been shaping bread dough into rolls for a good hour now and the whole time all Peeta could think about was Gale - how he treated him, how he lead him on and how he still, after all of this, liked him. "Come on Peeta, you've been acting weird ever since you got back from the pool. What's happened?"

"Nothing, Eli… It doesn't matter." Peeta replied, shaping his last bit of dough and moving it over the tray ready to be baked in the morning. "I'm just tired, hot and I want to be done with work so that I can go back to Finnick's house and drink some beers and just… let off some steam."

"You're gonna let off steam… With Finnick? Sounds a bit dodgy if you ask me, Peet." Elijah said with a wink. Peeta sighed, trying to make it clear he wasn't in the mood for his brother's jokes. The blond began to untie his apron, not even responding to his brother. Elijah walked round to the same side of the kitchen island as Peeta and perched on the work top. "So, how do you and Finn blow off steam? Maybe you could stay home tonight and I could help you? You always say that you wanna spend more time with me. I mean, I can help you out just as well as Finn could."

Peeta cringed as Elijah spoke. It wasn't Elijah's fault that he didn't know blowing off steam with Finnick meant a couple of beers and then blowjobs all round. For all Eli knew, Peeta was straight. But still, the thought of Elijah 'helping him out' thoroughly creeped him out. "Eli, please stop talking… I'm sorry, but I'll spend all day with you tomorrow. I just, can't tonight… Especially not to blow off steam."

"Why not, Peety? I haven't gotten to spend time with you all holiday." Eli moaned.

Most people would probably find it weird how close Peeta and Elijah. But with only one year between them, it was hard for Peeta to not think of a time when Elijah wasn't around. They grew up looking after each other when their parents were busy in the shop. He couldn't blame Elijah for being upset he wasn't spending time with him because Peeta had missed being with Eli too. The blond just couldn't tonight, he had promised Finn and to be honest, he was looking forward to it.

"I promised Finn and we haven't had the chance to do this in a while…" Peeta said, desperately trying to come up with an excuse good enough so that he didn't have to reveal the actual reason.

"Do what? You were with him today, and you were at a party with him last night. Surely, that would have given you time… Oh, unless you needed to be alone. What do you and Finn need to do alone?" Elijah questioned, now more interested in what he didn't know than convincing Peeta to stay home.

Peeta felt his phone buzz in his pocket and silently thanked God in his head. "Wait a sec…" He muttered to Elijah, before pulling out his phone.

 _(2) Messages from Finnick Odair_

"Speak of the devil…" Elijah said, peering over to see what his brother's phone said.

 **Finnick:** _Madge and Katniss have just arrived, we're gonna have to cancel tonight. Sorry Peety. Obviously, you can still come over as well. I think they wanna watch some movies. xxx_

 **Finnick:** _Actually, scratch that… You probably don't want to come anymore. Gale has just rocked up from parking the car. Invitation is still open though. xxx_

"Sounds like you have an excuse to spend time with me now." Elijah said, smiling at Peeta when he looked up from reading the messages.

"Looks like you're in luck then, Eli." Peeta remarked, smiling back at his brother. As much as he wanted to see Finnick, he'd do anything to avoid having to see Gale right now. Plus, some time with Elijah would be nice.

xxx

"Aren't you glad you stayed home now?" Elijah asked, looking up at Peeta. They were laying on the pullout bed in the living room, watching films on Netflix. Somehow, Eli had managed to snake his way into Peeta's arms, like he used to when they were younger. Peeta didn't complain though, it was nice to be spending time with his brother again.

"Yeah, it's actually been pretty great." Peeta agreed, ruffling his brother's hair.

"Can I ask you something, Peet?" Eli questioned.

"Of course, not promising I'll be able to answer though."

"What did you mean when you said you were gonna blow off steam with Finn?"

"What?" Peeta asked, wishing he would have said no to answering a question. It was almost midnight and had been almost four hours since the subject had first come up. He was hoping that Elijah would have forgotten about it by now, but Peeta's luck was not holding up. "Why do you care so much, Eli?"

"I just like to know what my brother gets up to nowadays," Elijah muttered, seemingly confused as to why Peeta wouldn't just tell him. "You're never here to talk about things anymore."

"Look, Elijah, Finnick and I have lots of fun when we're alone and it helps us to relax and relieve stress. I'm sure I don't need to explain any further. I also don't really want to go into detail." Peeta said, sighing quietly, praying that his brother would get the message and stop asking. Looking down at the boy in his arms, he was clearly confused and Peeta was sure he would stop asking. After a couple of moments silence where both boys continued to watch the film, Elijah's face lit up with understanding, finally grasping what Peeta was implying.

"You and Finn fuck?!" He exclaimed, excitement filling his voice.

"Keep your voice down." Peeta chided. "Anyway… we haven't gone that far."

"So, how far have you gone? Also, are you gay or just experimenting?" Elijah interrogated, causing Peeta to roll his eyes. "Is Finnick the only guy you've been with?"

"I'm not telling my younger brother about my sex life." Peeta argued.

"Oh, come on Peeta - please!" Elijah whined, utilising his puppy dog face he used any time he wanted his own way. After years and years of practice, Elijah had perfected this look and Peeta couldn't help but give in whenever he used it - today being no exception.

"Fine!" Peeta caved, reluctantly answering his curious brother's questions. "We've gone far enough, but we haven't had actual sex… I am gay, like very gay. Girl's don't really interest me anymore. Finally, yes. Finnick is the only guy I've been with sexually."

"Okay, that's cool. Congratulations on figuring out who you are." Elijah pulled Peeta closer to him as he spoke. "I have another question though… Like not about Finnick."

"I've already told you about my sex life, I don't see why I can't answer one more question." Peeta reasoned.

"Why would Gale's presence stop you from going to Finnick's? I swear you were friends." Elijah queried.

Peeta shrugged. Technically he could tell Elijah what had happened, especially now that he knew about Peeta's sexuality and was accepting of it. However, it was a long story and by the point, it was nearly one in the morning. "While I would love to tell you about the catastrophe of a friendship between Gale and myself, I am exhausted. I need to go to bed. I'll tell you in the morning I guess."

And with that, Peeta manoevered himself out of Elijah's grip and walked towards his bedroom, thankful that he got to spend time with his brother, despite the fact that he silently cursed Gale's name. It was technically Gale's fault he had had to tell Elijah all about him and Finnick because he showed up at Finnick's. Had it only been Madge, Katniss and Finnick, Peeta would have been over there in a flash. But Gale went, which means Peeta wasn't.

Peeta closed the door of his bedroom and pulled off the sweatshirt he had been wearing, flinging it onto the floor. His t-shirt and jeans soon followed suit, leaving him in only his underwear. The baker's son clambered into his bed and checked his phone. After scrolling through Twitter for a while and setting his alarm for work in the morning, Peeta turned off the light in his room and tried his hardest to sleep without thinking of Gale.

* * *

Author's Note: I know, I'm sorry! I am absolutely dreadful at updating this story, but I am determined to finish it. However, it's exam season which means I won't have much time to write for a while. Sorry for the awful uploading schedule. As always, leave a review and a favourite if you liked this chapter! Hopefully another one will be up within the next month. :)


	15. Chapter 15

Peeta smoothed the creases out of the tablecloth he had just thrown over the round table. He had somehow been roped into helping set up for the end of year dance again. Apparently, the baker had told Glimmer that he would help today at Katniss's party. When she had called, Peeta had claimed to have no recollection of this happening, which was not a lie. But, the head cheerleader insisted that it did and he wasn't in the mood to argue with her. Peeta didn't really mind helping out, it meant that he had something to distract him from the constant thoughts about Gale that seemed to relentlessly dance across his mind.

"Okay, that's all of the tablecloths put on," Glimmer stated from somewhere behind him. "Now, Peeta, would you mind putting the centerpieces together? Oh, and then place one on each table, if you would."

"Sure thing." Peeta replied, heading over to the stage where all the boxes of decorations for the dance had been placed. If he had to pick one positive thing that had come out of the time he had spent decorating the school gymnasium, it would be that Glimmer had finally learnt his actual name. Well, either that or she had known it the whole time and he had only just earned enough brownie points for her to call him Peeta.

Climbing onto the stage, he quickly found the boxes containing the oversized, fake hydrangea flowers. Glimmer had given him strict instructions earlier that morning to trim down the stems of each flower before placing one of each colour in the vase. He searched the boxes of flowers, finding only three different colours: a lilac-blue, powder pink and an off-white. It reminded him of the mixed forget-me-nots that grew in the park opposite the school. Peeta couldn't help but wonder whether that was where Glimmer got her inspiration from.

The blond got to work on trimming down the stems, using a pair of scissors. It was easy work and arranging the flowers was honestly quite enjoyable. Filling the vases was an easy job and it wasn't long until every table had a centerpiece of colour resting in the middle of it. Peeta stood on the stairs that lead up to the stage, smiling proudly at his handiwork. He looked over the rest of the gymnasium. Streamers matching the colours of the flowers were strung across the ceiling, separated by ropes of fairy lights that when it was dark would twinkle like stars. Clusters of balloons were placed around the edge of the room, floating from thin, cream ribbons. Everything was coming together for this dance and Peeta couldn't help but feel a little proud of what they had created.

"Peeta!" Glimmer was walking towards him yet again and Peeta was ready to accept another job. "The centerpieces look wonderful!"

"Thanks, the new colours you picked work really well together." Peeta said, glad that Glimmer was satisfied with what he had done. "Anything else you want me to do?"

"Thank you, I had to change the gold, pink and turquoise. I wanted something more subtle." She agreed. "Yes, actually. I sent Gale down to the storeroom ages ago to get the glasses for drinks but he hasn't come back with any glasses yet. Would you go down there to make sure he's okay?" Glimmer asked, her usual beautiful smile gleaming at him.

"Gale's here?" Peeta questioned. The baker had been here for nearly two and a half hours and hadn't even seen a hint that would suggest Gale was here. He didn't even notice the brunette's car in the car park.

"Of course, you both volunteered at the party together." Glimmer answered. They had obviously made this agreement pre-breakup, otherwise Peeta would have never agreed to help out on the same day as Gale. Could Peeta even class what had happened between him and Gale at the party as a breakup?

"Do I have to do it?" Peeta asked, trying to keep the whine out of his voice. He really didn't feel like seeing Gale today. "Can't you get Marvel to go or something?"

"No, Preston, Marvel is helping me hang up the rest of the fairy lights." Glimmer replied, clearly annoyed that she wasn't being obeyed. "Now, off you go."

Peeta sighed, there was clearly no getting out of this. Glimmer was adamant that it had to be him. Obviously, she only remembered his name when he was doing whatever she asked with no further questions. Peeta made his way to the storeroom, his footsteps echoing around the empty halls. He couldn't help but think of the last time he was in the storeroom. The situation was basically the same, he was going to look for something the hadn't been brought up to the gymnasium - only this time it was glasses and not paint. He'd found Gale in a dark storeroom that day, and he would probably find Gale in the storeroom again. Except this time, Gale wouldn't be his newly made friend that he was still shy around. Gale was now the boy that kissed him multiple times while dating his girlfriend. This time it wasn't going to be a pleasant encounter.

Peeta reached the storeroom and found the door ever so slightly ajar. Walking into the small space, he found that the light was off. Flicking on the lightswitch, he found Gale on his knees feeling around inside a box.

"Looks like you still haven't found the lightswitch…" Peeta said, a half-hearted attempt at making a joke about the last time he'd found Gale here in the dark.

"Uh… No, I haven't by the looks of it." Gale looked up at the blond, not doing so well at hiding the shock on his face that Peeta was the one who had found him. A silence passed between them. Peeta just stood in the doorway and Gale turned away from Peeta, looking down into the box in front of him. The silence lasted mere moments but for Peeta, it seemed like an age. It was Gale who broke the quiet.

"We'd only had one short conversation before," Gale started, his voice soft and quiet, only just louder than a whisper. What he was saying was for only his and Peeta's ears. "The last time we were in here, I mean. I remember Glimmer had somehow forced us both to be here and you found me exactly how I am now - searching for something that I was failing to find… You switched on the light just like you did just then and I remember thinking how beautiful you looked in that instant. It's not like you were wearing anything special or had your hair in a particular way. I'm not sure how you did it, but you seemed to glow in the dim light of this stupid cupboard. You were just so beautifully you that I couldn't help but want more… That's why I didn't stop what happened at Capitol the next day. I wanted to see so much more of you that I forgot all about Madge. I let my want to be close to you potentially ruin the relationship I already had."

There was a pause in what Gale was saying and Peeta couldn't help but hang to every word. It felt as though he was finally getting an explanation for everything that had happened. Peeta didn't speak, he just let Gale continue with his soliloquy.

"Then I got a text from Katniss inviting me to her party and I couldn't help myself… I asked her for your number and immediately messaged you. When I planned to meet up with you, I didn't think it would result in as much kissing as it did. I just wanted to see if the need I had felt was still there and it was. It was so strong that it freaked me out and that's why I ran to Madge so quickly. I didn't want to leave you or to upset you. I had to, because if I didn't I was gonna end up ruining everything. I would have ruined everything with Madge and you and I really didn't want that. I do like Madge, a lot. I know what I did with you would make it seem like I didn't, but I do. But, that's not to say that what I felt… Feel for you is any less important."

"Gale, I…" Peeta wanted to say something but, he didn't know what. Everything Gale was saying was just completely overwhelming.

"No, Peeta… I'm sorry about what I did at the party. But, I don't regret it. I had to choose and I chose the safer option. I chose the option that meant I wouldn't break Madge's heart and that wouldn't ruin your friendship with Madge. The only thing it changed was your opinion on me… And I have to be honest, that broke my heart a little bit - to know that you would think of me as a user when all I wanted was to keep as many people as happy as I could." The brunette took a shaky breath. "I didn't want to, but I lead you on... I do like you Peeta and I know you like me just as much… And I would love for us to have a chance, but it's just the wrong place at the wrong time."

With this, Gale stood up, walking towards Peeta. The blond felt the taller male's arms wrap around him, pulling him tightly against his body. Peeta could feel Gale's heart pounding beneath the layers of clothing and muscle, he could hear every jump and beat. But that was all, Gale's explanation had finished and Peeta understood. He just didn't want to understand because what Gale said was that it was over and Peeta didn't want it to be.

"I'm so sorry, Peety…" Gale muttered before pressing a chaste kiss onto the blond's forehead. The brunette pulled away from the embrace, grabbed a box from the shelf to their left that was labelled 'glasses' and left the store cupboard. Peeta stayed where he was, glued to the spot. Gale's words had left a dull pain in his head. That was the end of it all. He'd finally gotten the explanation he wanted, and yet, it wasn't enough.

Peeta wanted nothing more than for Gale to turn around, run back to him and kiss him and never pull away. But that wasn't going to happen, Gale's footsteps were just going to get fainter and fainter. Peeta wanted to be selfish and tell Madge everything in hopes that it ended her relationship with Gale. Peeta wanted Gale all to himself.

Peeta felt everything for Gale all at once and he couldn't hold it back anymore. He released a sob, tears falling from his eyes. He knew he must sound and look pathetic, but that's how he felt. He didn't want to help decorate anymore. He didn't want to do anything but lay in his dark bedroom, and not leave until it was time for him to graduate.

With shaking hands, Peeta typed out a message to Katniss.

 **Peeta:** _I'm crying in the school storeroom and I don't understand how this happened._

Katniss's reply came almost instantly.

 **Katniss:** _I'm on my way, don't move. I'll have blankets and ice cream ready for you._

* * *

Author's Note: This isn't how I expected this chapter to go, but I like how it turned out. I hope you guys enjoy it too :) As always, leave a review and tell me what you think and please ignore any mistakes.


	16. Chapter 16

It had been a couple of hours since sunlight had streamed through Katniss's bedroom window. They'd left the school just after lunchtime and it was now dark. Peeta felt pathetic. He'd been wallowing in his best friend's bed for more than five hours now and he hadn't done anything except lay in the dark, eat and talk to Katniss endlessly. He knew he was being overdramatic. Gale was never really his to lose, but it still stung like a bitch to find out that he had liked Peeta the whole time.

Katniss came into the room and turned on the lightswitch, a drink in her hand. She came over and sat on the edge of the bed. Her face showing nothing but concern. Peeta had to be honest, he hadn't expected Katniss to be so understanding about the whole thing. He'd thought she'd tell him to get up, get over it and move on. In all honesty, that seemed like an impossible thing at the moment.

"Here, drink this." Katniss said quietly, handing him the drink. Peeta hadn't realised how thirsty he was. The blond had been so content with doing nothing but eating, he'd completely neglected drinking. He took an eager sip of the dark liquid. Coughing, he looked up at Katniss incredulously.

"Is there vodka in this?" Peeta asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Katniss said matter-of-factly. "It's seven thirty and you're still in bed. I needed to get you out of here to Cato's house somehow."

"Why do I need to go to Cato's?" Peeta questioned, already knowing the answer to his question based on the drink she just gave him.

"He's having a party and Finnick worked his magic. We're going." Katniss answered. The tone of voice she was using gave Peeta the idea that if he tried to refuse she would drag him there against his will.

"Of course he is…" Peeta thought about it. There was a very slight chance of Cato having invited Gale, so what was there to lose? A party sounded quite appealing right now. A night of drinking, dancing and the possibility of kissing a guy felt like it was exactly what he needed to forget Gale, even if it was just for a while. "Fine, I'll go. But, you're supplying me with drink because you're the one who's forcing me to go."

xxx

He wasn't sure how Cato had managed it, but his dark living room glowed with pink and purple light. It reminded him of the fluorescent lighting in Capitol that was hidden behind wall panels and in the bar. Katniss had been right, they definitely needed to go to this party. When they had gotten there, Finnick was already in the living room dancing in between some girl and boy Peeta had never seen before. The loud music pulsated through the house, the atmosphere intoxicating. Most people at the party seemed to be packed into the living room, dancing against anyone.

A couple of drinks later and Peeta found himself in his current blurred state. His hips swayed to the slow, heavy, thudding beat of the song. The blond felt a hand on his hip and a body pressing against him, falling into rhythm with his movements. Peeta moved his hand behind him, tangling into the hair on the back of the guy's head. He couldn't tell who it was and he wasn't really that bothered about finding out. Peeta closed his eyes, listening to music and keeping up with the pace of the dance. He could feel the heat radiating into his back from the body behind. Whoever it was, knew what they were doing. He could feel the muscles moving beneath their t-shirt. The grip on his hip was strong, keeping their bodies together as they swayed.

A kiss was pressed to his neck. It was soft and lingering, Peeta couldn't help but let a small moan escape his lips. He felt the pair of lips smile against his skin when he made the noise. Peeta got the feeling that this was not the first time his dance partner had done this to someone. Pulling away from the grip, he turned to see who it was that he'd been dancing with.

"Finnick… I should have guessed." Peeta muttered, a smile growing on his face. He had to admit that he was a little disappointed. The baker expected to turn to see some tall, dark and handsome stranger. Then again, he couldn't complain. Finnick was tall, bronzed and stunningly gorgeous. His best friend's face was half illuminated by the soft pink light that filled the room.

"I just wanted a dance." Finnick said with a wink, raising his voice over the music. The swimmer pulled Peeta close to him again, grinding their hips together in time with the music blasting throughout the house. Finnick leaned in to whisper in Peeta's ear. "Wanna catch up on what we missed last night?"

Peeta bit his lip. He'd almost forgotten about the fact that he had missed his chance for alone time with Finnick last night. But, now that Finn had reminded him, he couldn't think of anything better. He nodded and let Finnick guide him through the crowds by the hand. It didn't take them long to find an empty bedroom. They closed the door behind them, not bothering with the lightswitch. The vague outline of a bed sat in the far corner of the room. Finnick's lips collided with Peeta's, stumbling over to the bed as the went. The kiss was sloppy and rough. The blond felt his best friend unbuttoning his shirt, exposing his chest to the air. They broke the kiss so that Finnick could pull his own shirt over his head, giving Peeta time to let his drop to the floor.

A hand on his chest pushed Peeta back onto the bed, he propped himself up on his elbows. He could faintly see Finnick stood above him, unbuttoning his black jeans. The blond followed suit, pushing his own jeans down his legs and throwing them onto the floor. Left only in his underwear, Peeta watched as the bronze haired boy crawled up Peeta's body until he was straddled his hips. The swimmer leaned down and pressed more kisses to Peeta's neck, once again grinding their hips together causing Peeta to let out small gasps of breath.

As soon as the kisses started though, they stopped. Instead, Finnick began to lick and nip and bite and kiss and suck his way down Peeta's chest ever so slowly making his way to the waistband of the baker's tight black boxers. Finnick licked a stripe down the trail of hair that lead from Peeta's belly button and to the waistband. Taking the waistband in his teeth, Finnick pulled down the boxers, releasing Peeta's achingly hard cock. A shiver ran up Peeta's spine as the cold air hit his dick. He whined as he felt Finnick begin to kiss his way back up his thighs, wishing that the swimmer would stop teasing him.

"Come on, Finn…" Peeta moaned.

Without hesitation, Finnick took the head of Peeta's cock into his mouth, using his tongue to circle it. Peeta let out a whimper and snaked his hands into Finnick's bronze curls, pushing himself further into the other's mouth. He couldn't stop his hips from bucking up into the warmth. Finnick gagged a little but didn't pull off, he only placed his hands on Peeta's hips to stop him from doing it again. There was a slight pause in movement, that Peeta assumed was to let the swimmer adjust to how far he had taken his cock in. Despite only being able to see the silhouette of Finnick's lips wrapped around his dick, Peeta was drooling imagining what it must look like. Hardly any of his cock would be visible by now, it would be sheathed in Finnick's mouth. The curls of the swimmer would be hanging down, covering his eyes, but Peeta would be able to see the corners of his mouth turning up in a smirk. Finnick loved a reaction and the baker's small gasps and moans were like music to his ears.

The movement continued, Finnick's head bobbing up and down Peeta's length. Each dip took the shaft further and further into the warm heat of Finn's mouth. It sounded so pathetic, but Peeta didn't think he could take much more of this. He was already close. After not cumming since the last time they had fooled around, Peeta was ready to blow his load.

"Finn… You gotta stop… I'm so close." Peeta whispered between pants for breath. Finnick squeezed Peeta's hip and pulled off of the cock with a satisfying pop.

"Someone's a little eager today." Finnick joked.

"Shut up, I haven't cum since the last time we did this and you're pretty good at this." Peeta said defensively.

"Hey, I'm kidding Peety." Finnick consoled, climbing higher up Peeta's body so that he could tenderly press their lips together, while snaking a hand down to grasp around his still throbbing member. He began to move his hand up and down, sliding the considerably sized shaft through his hand. Peeta could feel the familiar tug in his stomach, he was close and Finnick could feel it. The bronze haired boy moved down again, continuing to jerk Peeta off, his speed quickly increasing. Peeta felt Finnick's mouth on the tip of his cock again, ready to swallow everything that Peeta offered. He could feel his friend's tongue lapping up every drop of precum avidly.

The feeling in Peeta's stomach was flooding into every inch of his body, it was ready to push him over the edge and let go. One last swipe of Finnick's tongue across the head of his cock and Peeta was sent over the edge. His toes curled up as he released everything he had into Finnick's mouth. The blond's mouth opened in a silent 'o', no moan or gasp escaped his lips this time. The baker's fingers gripped the sheets on the bed, he felt as though he would pass out from the pleasure. He could feel Finnick swallowing every drop of his cum.

"Fuck, I forgot how great you taste Mellark." Finnick remarked, his breathing slightly short.

Peeta didn't bother replying. He shifted his body to the side so that Finnick was no longer on top of him. He stood and moved to the end of the bed. The blond grabbed the tanned swimmer's legs, pulling him so that he was sat on the end of the bed. Peeta sank to his knees in between his friend's legs. He reached his hand out, feeling Finnick's sizeable hard on through his boxers.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so excited, Odair." Peeta teased. "My cum must really turn you on."

"Just wrap your pretty lips around my cock, Mellark, before I find someone else to do it." Finnick threatened, both of them knowing it was an empty threat. Peeta made a sigh of mock annoyance and pulled down the boxers of the other boy, allowing his cock to spring free and hit his abs. Wrapping his hand around Finnick's shaft, Peeta dipped his head to suck softly on Finnick's balls. Peeta heard a groan emanate from Finnick and he couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself. Peeta the Virgin was making Finnick Odair - a guy who was known around school for being amazing in bed - squirm in pleasure and it felt great. Peeta licked a stripe all the way from Finnick's balls, up his shaft and to the tip of his cock. Not wasting any time, he took the head into his mouth, sucking gently. He bobbed his head up and down, hollowing his cheeks to give him more room for Finnick's thick length.

Finnick was becoming more and more vocal as Peeta took more of his cock into his mouth. Grunts, moans, gasps and whispered dirty nothings filled the air, only encouraging Peeta to swallow more of his cock. Soon enough, Peeta was sucking Finnick's full length and each bob of his head lead to his nose being tickled by the small patch of pubes that nestled at the base of Finnick's member.

"Fuck, Mellark… Fuck." Finnick gasped. "Have you been fucking practicing?"

Peeta hummed, his mouth too full to do anything else. He felt fingers lace into his hair, pulling his head up and down on his dick. By this point, Peeta didn't even need to move his own head, Finnick was face fucking him desperately.

"Shitting hell, Mellark…" Both Peeta and Finnick had been so caught up in what they were doing, they hadn't noticed the door open. "I knew Finnick was up here fucking someone in my bed… But I wasn't expecting you be to his cum doll."

The light was flicked on and Peeta quickly pulled himself off Finnick's dick, grabbing Finn's shirt off the floor to cover his own half hard dick. He looked up at the door to the room to find Cato watching them, a smirk on his face.

"S-sorry," Peeta stuttered. "We didn't realise it was your room."

"Boys, it's fine. I'll let you get back to swallowing each others cum b-..."

"Actually, I've already swallowed Peeta's." Finnick said, cutting Cato off. Cato looked at Finnick, not sure how to respond.

"Anyway… As I was saying, you can get back to what you were doing, if I get to watch the rest." Cato almost demanded. Peeta sat in shock. He was pretty sure Cato was straight, but one look at his crotch told the baker that Cato had enjoyed the glimpse of what he had saw.

"Uh…" Peeta had lost all words. Not sure how to respond, he looked up at Finnick for an answer. He had no problems with it. In fact, the mere idea of a hot guy like Cato watching him suck off Finnick was starting to make him hard again. He was up for it if Finn was. There was a pause until Finnick answered.

"Sure, but only if you take of your clothes and jerk off to the show we're about to give you."

At this, Cato's smirk returned and he grabbed the outline of his own hard cock in his jeans. "I already planned to do so. Odair, Mellark - get to it."

* * *

Author's Note: So… I added another party just to give me an excuse to write some more smut and the ending turned out a bit more exciting than I had anticipated, haha. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! As always, leaves reviews if you enjoyed it! Also, any tips on how to improve my smut would be much appreciated! :)


	17. Chapter 17

Peeta watched as Cato slowly removed his clothes, revealing the sculpted muscles beneath. The baker couldn't help but stare. He'd expected Cato to look good, he was captain of the football team after all. But, he didn't quite expect muscles to that extent. They were completely different to Finnick's. Finnick was toned and tanned. Cato looked as though he had been chiselled from marble - every line was defined and lead to another muscle. The blond was brought out of his daze by Finnick tugging on his hair.

"C'mon Mellark, I know Cato is a pretty sight but I need to feel that mouth again." Finnick groaned, pushing Peeta's mouth closer to his cock.

"Yeah, let's hurry it up, Peeta. I wanna see a show." Cato quickly agreed, having sat down on a chair facing the bed. Cato was lazily stroking his large cock and that was all the encouragement Peeta needed. He shifted on his knees so that he was closer to Finnick. Wrapping a hand around it's base, Peeta leaned down to lick at Finnick's slit. He heard the swimmer gasp quietly and he couldn't help but chuckle. God, his friend needed to cum so bad and Peeta was more than happy to help.

The baker began to take Finnick's length into his mouth, taking it inch by inch. When he felt the small patch of pubes tickle at his nose, Peeta began to slowly pull off pressing his tongue against the underside of his friend's cock as he went. Finnick's hands curled into the blond hair and Peeta smiled around his cock. Bobbing up and down on the length, he let his hands roam. One travelled up, feeling past the neat happy trail of hair that lead to Finnick's belly button to his sunkissed abs. He let his fingers drift teasingly from one to the other, memorising every raise and dip. His other hand moved from the base of the bronze haired boy's cock to his thigh, lighting tracing shapes on the soft skin.

The whispered nothings flooding from Finnick's mouth as Peeta swirled his tongue around the head of his cock only fuelled Peeta to do more. He took his mouth off of the cock, earning a whimper from Finnick, and moved his hand to slowly stroke the throbbing member. Peeta sucked lightly on one of Finnick's balls, causing him to pull sharply on Peeta's blond locks.

"Fuck, you guys are so hot." Cato panted from the other side of the room. Peeta looked up briefly to grin at him before returning his mouth to Finnick's dick, taking it down to the base in one swift motion. The footballer was stroking his member at a considerable pace now and sweat was beading on his forehead. He was clearly hanging on to every movement Peeta and Finnick made.

"Glad you're enjoying it." Finnick choked out between gasps of breath. Peeta was now moving his hand along his best friend's shaft, syncopating it with the movement of his mouth. The tip of the swimmer's cock was slamming into the back of Peeta's throat and he wasn't sure how, but he was managing to prevent himself from gagging each time.

"Peeta, your mouth is magic, I swear." Finnick moaned, actually managing to form a coherent sentence. Peeta hummed his thanks, sending vibrations along the swimmer's cock. The baker only managed to bob his head up and down a couple more times before Finnick was pushing Peeta's head down on his cock and spilling his cum deep into his throat. Peeta swallowed every drop, savouring the taste of Finnick on his tongue. Finnick moaned strings or curse words as he pumped more and more cum into Peeta.

When Finn had finished, Peeta pulled the softening cock out of his mouth with a satisfying pop and looked up at Finnick, smirking at just how much he could make his friend smirk with just his mouth.

"Guys, if you want to, you could help me out here…" Cato whimpered, still stroking his cock. Peeta had almost forgotten he was there. "I'm so close and that was so hot, I just… I just want one of you to finish me off. Like, now if you could."

Peeta got up off his knees and moved over to Cato. He held out a hand, motioning for Cato to stand up. The footballer complied, letting go of his cock. Finnick walked over a joined Peeta in standing next to the footballer.

"You take the front, I'll take the back." Finnick said, moving round to kneel behind Cato. Before Peeta had even kneeled to begin sucking Cato off, the footballer let out a small yelp. Peeta looked round at Finnick to find his face buried between the two perfect globes of Cato's arse. Fuck, that was a beautiful sight. Peeta quickly sunk to his knees, knowing Cato wouldn't last much longer. He suckled on the head of Cato's cock, his precum tasting distincting different from Finnick's. Hands snaked into the baker's hair and pushed, forcing the large cock further into Peeta's mouth - a feeling he was used to by now. Cato's breathing was getting more laboured with every breath. With Finnick licking at his hole and Peeta sucking on his cock, there was no way the footballer would last.

There was a loud groan and for the second time that night, Peeta felt cum shooting down his throat. Ropes and ropes of warm seed spilled into his mouth and just like with Finnick, the baker swallowed every drop, relishing in the taste of another man.

Cato pulled his cock out of Peeta's mouth, his breathing was short and he was muttering something about thank you and fuck. Peeta smirked and stood up, planting a kiss on the footballer's lips to shut him up.

"Don't thank me, it was a pleasure to taste your cum." Peeta murmured, running a hand through the other blond's hair. Cato stood smiling dumbly at him, still enjoying his post-cum haze. Peeta chuckled, moving over to the bed to find his clothes. Once he was dressed, he picked up the pile of Finnick's clothes and threw them to him. "Odair, make sure Cato gets downstairs alright. He seems a little dumbstruck."

"Sure thing, Mellark." Finnick gave Peeta a mock salute and continued pulling on his underwear. Peeta moved to the door of the room, hoping Katniss hadn't missed them too much. Opening the door, Peeta realised he was worryingly sober. He needed to find a beer.

"Oh, and Finn?" Peeta said, turning back to face the bronze haired boy. "Next time we're fooling around… Try that arse thing on me, yeah? It was hot."

"I was already planning on it." Finnick said with a wink, already buttoning up his shirt. "Now go find Katniss and make sure she isn't too pissed with us for abandoning her."

* * *

Author's Note: I know this was a _really, really_ short chapter, but I wanted to give you the end of the smutty bit because I hated leaving you guys on a cliffhanger for so long. Just letting you guys know that my exams are basically over, so hopefully updates should become a bit more recent again! As always, if you enjoyed, leave a review or a favourite. I love hearing from you guys and it helps to let me know whether you guys are liking what's going on with the characters. Thanks for reading! :)


	18. Chapter 18

The slight outcropping of the roof did little to shelter Peeta from the rain. It was typical really, the one day that his car had to go to the shop, the world decided to treat Panem to what could only be described as a torrential rainstorm. The baker stood at the bus stop, feeling his clothing get heavier as it soaked up more and more rain water. Checking his watch again, he sighed. The bus was over five minutes late and he was beginning to lose hope in it ever arriving. Katniss was supposed to give him a lift home from Cato's, but she'd ended up going home early because she felt sick. So, here he was. In the rain. Waiting for a bus.

Head still reeling from the events the night before, Peeta adjusted the strap of his backpack, wincing slightly from the dull ache in his shoulder. Looking back on it, dancing on the coffee table when he was as drunk as he had been probably wasn't the best idea. It had taken him less than half a song's worth of dancing to fall off the table and land awkwardly on his shoulder. At the time, he laughed so hard that he struggled to breathe. But now he was majorly regretting ever attempting it. He blamed Glimmer. She was the one who dragged him up there. After what had happened with Finnick and Cato, Peeta had felt confident enough to initiate a game of spin the bottle with anyone that would play. The blond was now ashamed to say that there was no longer many people at that party that he could say he hadn't kissed. When the party had started to wind down and the couple of people who weren't staying the night had left, Peeta managed to find a couch to sleep on that was probably no more comfortable than sleeping on the floor - especially when Finnick decided that they needed to sleep together and wiggled his way behind Peeta on the sofa.

Late. The bus was late. Peeta couldn't think of a worse situation to be in. Moments after thinking that small thought, the world proved him wrong. A familiar silver car pulled up next to him. The passenger side window rolled down, Madge's face. Just behind her, he could see Gale awkwardly smiling at him from the driver's seat.

"Peeta!" Madge exclaimed, worry clear on her face. "You'll get ill from being out in this weather."

"I'll be fine, Madge, I've endured worse." Peeta replied, smiling at his pretty friend. She really was gorgeous. Her slender face was framed by golden hair that shined even in the dim light of the rainy mid-morning. Her cheeks had a natural stain of blush spilled upon them that complimented the rose of her lips and no matter how much she tried, her skin stayed fair and untouched by the sun's damaging rays. This did nothing but help draw your eyes to Madge's own blue eyes. Many people over the years had asked if she wore contacts that made them brighter. They were a perfect shade of aquamarine, not dissimilar to the colour of the sea on a sunny day. She was strikingly beautiful and Peeta couldn't help but feel envious of her. Of course Gale would prefer the Undersee girl to him. He was basically the bargain bin version of her. His hair was like ashy straw, not golden. His eyes were a shade of blue so pale that they may as well be grey. Madge was tall and leggy in the best way possible, whilst Peeta was an extremely awkward height. He wasn't short, but he wasn't tall. She was his best friend and he envied her incredibly.

"Don't be silly, if you get a cold now, you won't be better for the dance!" Madge countered.

"Yeah, Peeta, get in. You know how unreliable these buses are." Gale had leaned towards the open window to offer his two cents. "Get in, I'll give you a lift home."

'Seriously, guys… I'll be fine." Peeta couldn't think of a situation worse than spending what would be at least a fifteen minute car journey with Madge and Gale together. "The bus should be here any minute and I don't wanna make you go out of your way."

"I won't be going out of my way." Gale stated, matter-of-factly. "I'm dropping off Madge at her's and then I need to pick my family's bread order up from your bakery. So, I was going there anyway."

Madge smiled at Peeta. "See, it's actually easier for you to come with us! Get in."

Peeta ran his hand through his hair, desperately trying to think of a way to get out of this. But he nothing he could think of had even a remote chance of working. Instead, he just put on his best fake smile, walked to the back door and got into the car.

Luckily for Peeta, Madge was in a talkative mood. He barely even had to speak. Madge was a constant fountain of excitement for the dance the next day. She described her dress in great detail for Peeta, a pale pink with sequin detail on the bodice. He assured her that he was certain she would look beautiful and that's all he had to say for the journey. Peeta stopped pretending to listen after a while and he was pretty damn sure that Madge knew he wasn't paying her any attention. He felt awful. He was wet. He was cold. His shoulder hurt. He was sat inches away from the guy that had broken his heart the day before, and he just wanted to be at home. Gale looked fine, perfectly fine. He still had a girlfriend. He didn't have anything to be heartbroken over. Fuck him. He was smiling and nodding along to whatever Madge was running on about. He was fine. Fine looked annoyingly beautiful on Gale and that made Peeta mad. He sat quietly seething until they pulled up outside of Madge's. The beautiful girl turned to him and said goodbye, which he returned with another fake smile, before pecking Gale on the cheek and thanking him.

"I'll see you later, baby." She said, "You aren't stuck in the back anymore Peeta, you can move up here to the front."

Peeta realised that it would look weird if he didn't take her up on the offer. Who optionally chooses to sit in the back seat when the passenger side is free? He quickly switched seats, waving at Madge as she walked up to her front door.

Once she was inside, Gale pulled away, heading towards Peeta's house. Peeta sat silently, not really caring anymore if he looked angry. Madge wasn't here anymore and Gale knew that he was hurt.

Minutes of silence went by. He could see Gale glancing at him every now and again out of the corner of his eye. The brunette looked uncomfortable now. Good, let him be. He'd used him and hurt him. He should be feeling something too.

"Peety, I-…" Gale sighed.

"Stop." Peeta replied, cutting him off. He didn't want to hear anymore. "You said everything you needed to say in the supply cupboard."

"Peeta…" Gale began to continue, but trailed off deciding against continuing.

The rest of the car journey was spent in silence

Peeta pushed open the door of the bakery, followed closely by Gale. Elijah looked up from the counter with a smile.

"Hey Peeta, good night?" Elijah's smile faded when he noticed Gale behind him "Oh, Gale…"

"Gale's here to pick up the Hawthorne order, Elijah. Go get it ready." Peeta said, ignoring his younger brother's question. He walked to the till and began totaling the order up. Gale stood at the counter, looking even more uncomfortable than he did in the car. He turned to Gale, glaring at him "Seven dollars, as always."

Gale handed over the money without saying anything. Peeta hurriedly sorted out the money and slammed the cash draw of the till. He moved to the door that lead upstairs, where his house was and where Gale wasn't.

"Peeta, please." Gale called out, there was a hint of desperation in his words. Peeta stopped. He almost felt bad until he remembered how bad he felt. "Peeta, we should talk. Madge is your friend. We can't carry on not talking."

Peeta looked at Gale, before dropping his gaze to the floor. "Elijah will be right out with your order." With that, the blond went upstairs leaving Gale behind him.

"Cheese!"

Peeta smiled for the photo. He, Katniss and Finnick stood in the Mellark living room, posed for a photo for his mother. It was at least the fifteenth photo she had taken and now Peeta was just itching to leave.

"Okay, mom. That's enough photos! We need to get going." Peeta moaned. It wasn't that he was excited for the dance, he just wanted to get it over with and the quicker he get there, the quicker he could leave.

"Fine, fine, get going." She replied, ushering the three of them to the door. "And stay safe! I know what you guys get up to at these things!"

"Mom!" Peeta groaned.

The music was loud. The colours were bright. The punch was non-alcoholic and yet, people were still drunk including Peeta, Finnick and Katniss. They laughed and they danced. They were having a good time. Peeta was having a good enough time.

"They're dancing together again." He said loud enough so it would travel over the music.

"Peeta, they've been dancing together all night." Katniss replied, matter-of-factly. "They're dating."

"Couldn't they do it somewhere I can't see?" He complained, wishing that Katniss would've told what he wanted to hear and not what he needed to.

"You can't expect them to do that when Madge has no idea it would hurt you to see them dancing, babe." Finnick shouted, reaching out to hold the blond's hand.

Peeta nodded. Finnick had a point. He half-smiled at the bronze haired boy holding his hand. Peeta couldn't help but notice how good Finn looked tonight. It was a little unfair how things turned out. Why couldn't he have fallen for Finnick? They were already having sex. They were already best friends. It would have worked out. He wouldn't be half drunk at the dance moping over some guy who hurt him because he would be with Finn.

The music changed. People slowed and coupled up. Peeta looked over at Gale and Madge. They were close, with their arms wrapped around each other. Madge's head rested perfectly on Gale's shoulder as they swayed slowly. Together. Peeta sighed.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom, excuse me." Peeta muttered, leaving both Finn and Katniss on the dancefloor.

The blond looked into the mirror. There were tears in his eyes and his face was an unattractive shade of red. He'd been washing his hands in the sink for a good five minutes now. He could hear the dull thud of a more upbeat song playing in the gym. He could go back now. They wouldn't be dancing like that anymore. Gale wouldn't be that close to one of his best friends anymore and he could go back. Yet, he isn't going back. He puts more soap on his hands and re-washes them. Turning off the tap, he shakes the excess water off his hands.

"This is shit." Peeta mumbled, sticking his hands under the dryer as the door opens behind him.

"You've been in here ages, Peeta. I get that you're upset. But… Come have fun with me and Kat." It was Finn. He wasn't really surprised that the bronze haired boy had come looking for him.

"I think I liked him more than I thought." Peeta said, not really to Finnick, but not really to himself. His hands were dry. He turned, looking at Finnick. He couldn't help but notice the concern in his friend's eyes.

"Yeah, I could tell…" Finn sighed. "But, he's not worth pining over." He moved towards Peeta, wrapping an arm around his waist, pulling the baker closer to him. The swimmer smiled and used his other hand to neaten up Peeta's hair. "Pine over me instead. We'll have so much more fun."

"You wish, Odair." Peeta said, laughing a little. "It's been literally less than three days since we last did stuff and you're already trying to get into my pants again."

"Can't blame me for trying. I just want to continue your sexual awakening, babe." Finnick added a wink, moving his hand from Peeta's waist to grope his ass. "We're alone in here if you wanna continue you it now…?"

"We are not fucking in the school bathroom." Peeta mocked annoyance as he moved Finnick's hand off his ass. "Especially not when you've left Katniss alone. We've abandoned her way to many times at parties to have sex."

"I didn't leave her alone. She's in the girls room, said she would meet us outside." Finn countered, before giving Peeta a quick kiss. "Let's go meet her and have some fun, yeah?"

"Okay."

They found Katniss already out in the hallway, but she wasn't alone. She stood there, talking to Gale and Madge. She noticed them walk out the bathroom, hand in hand.

"Hey guys!" She called, with a smile that looked way too happy to be on Katniss's face. "Gale and Madge were just wondering if we wanted to go get some photos taken together?" She looked at Peeta, giving him a look to convey how sorry she was.

"Sounds like a great idea." Peeta enthused, giving Gale a smile that he hoped didn't seem too fake.

They all headed to the photo booth and got into the queue. Katniss gave Peeta the same look again.

"I'm sorry," She whispered. "They kinda cornered me as I came out of the bathroom. They said they'd be looking everywhere for us."

"It's fine, don't worry." Peeta replied. "We were gonna have to talk to them at some point tonight."

"So guys, I was thinking we could get a group photo, then a girls photo and then a guys photo?" Madge suggested, drawing her attention away from Gale and turning to the rest of the group. Everyone just nodded, not wanting to argue with her. The line moved along. Too slowly. Peeta got bored a good two minutes in to queueing with the love birds. They cuddled, they kissed, they thankfully didn't see the scowls Peeta sent their way. Katniss did however, and prodded him whenever they were becoming too frequent.

They reached the front of the line and Madge checked if it was okay for them to have three photos, a question that was answered with a shrug from the photographer. They did the girls photo first. Madge and Katniss posed together, smiling widely, an arm around each other's waist. Then, the boys joined them for the group photo. Peeta placed himself between Katniss and Finnick and couldn't help but laugh when they both pressed a kiss on his cheek as the photo was taken. He'd have to make sure he got a copy of that photo. Madge soon dragged Katniss away so that the boys could have their photo, which left Peeta between Finnick and Gale. Finnick kept his arm around Peeta's waist, giving his hip a little reassuring squeeze. The blond looked up at the tall brunette next to him, unsure of how to pose with him. Gale avoided eye contact with Peeta and just stood next to him, smiling straight ahead at the photographer. Peeta's smile faded. He assumed he wasn't going to want a copy of this photo. He looked over at the camera, putting on the best smile he could after Gale ignoring him. As soon as the photo was taken, Gale moved away from Peeta, walking over to Madge and Gale.

"That was a bit awkward, huh?" Finnick muttered as they followed. Peeta just shrugged in response, not really wanting to dwell on the subject. They followed the girls and Gale back to the dancefloor and soon they were all dancing together as if nothing had happened. Peeta felt Finn's arms wrap around him again from behind. He grinded against Peeta's ass with the beat of the music. Peeta couldn't help but laugh as they continued to dance. He could feel the swimmer laughing with him. They begin to rotate slowly as the continued to dance, Finnick still grinding against him. They rotated so that they were facing the others. Katniss and Madge had joined them in laughing at the ridiculous way they were dancing. Gale, however, was trying to force a smile as best as he could. Peeta was accustomed to fake smiles by now and he could tell one from a mile away. He caught Gale's eye. There was something there. Was it hurt? Was it sadness? Peeta couldn't tell what exactly, but Gale definitely had a problem with what was going on. He wasn't the only one to notice either. Madge was looking at Gale too, still laughing, but she had definitely noticed that something was up with Gale. Peeta couldn't handle that look in his eyes anymore, it was making him sad just looking at him. He stopped dancing with Finnick and snaked his way free from Finnick's arms.

"I'm gonna go get a drink." Peeta announced, not wanting to be the cause of that look on Gale's face anymore.

"Uh, I want one to." Madge called after him, following him to where the big bowl of punch was sat on a table. Peeta grabbed a cup and ladled some of the bright red liquid into it. He didn't really want anymore punch. It tasted more of sugar than anything else, but he couldn't be near Gale right now. Madge appeared next to him and poured herself a cup. Looking around, she pulled a hip flask from her clutch and poured some clear liquid into her punch - vodka Peeta assumed. She held the flask out to Peeta, offering some. He shook his head. She put the flask away and sighed, taking a sip of her drink. Peeta did the same. They turned their backs on the punch bowl, looking out over the dancefloor. Peeta could see people he recognised. All laughing, dancing and singing. Having fun. Glimmer was surrounded by her normal posse of cheerleaders. He could see Cato not far off, dancing with some girl that Peeta was pretty sure was named Clove. Katniss, Finnick and Gale were where they left them. They were dancing, but it didn't seem right. It was painfully obvious that they all felt a little bit awkward and it was all because of him Finn and Katniss obviously didn't know how to act around the guy that had hurt Peeta, and Gale obviously didn't know how to act with the best friends of the guy whose heart he had broken.

"So, what's going on?" Madge asked, breaking the silence that had settled between them.

"What do you mean?" Peeta replied, knowing full well that she was asking about him and Gale.

"You and Gale." She answered, turning to face him. "First, you don't speak to each other in the car the other day, or tonight for that fact. Second, you are completely awkward with each other in the photo. And then, just now, his reaction to your dancing with Finnick wasn't normal. It looked like he was… Jealous or hurt, or something."

Peeta was quiet. He didn't want to be the one to tell her. Gale should do it. He was the faithful boyfriend.

"Peeta, please. I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't know. If you don't tell me, I'll just ask Gale later." Madge pleaded, almost sounding as if she was going to cry. Peeta wanted so bad to tell her. For her to get angry. For her to hate him. For her to hate Gale. Maybe then he'd get to be with Gale. But he knew, it wouldn't work that way. Gale would hate him for telling Madge, meaning he'd never get his chance with Gale.

"Nothing, Madge. Nothing's happening." Peeta said, hoping his voice wouldn't crack and reveal how he was feeling. "Gale and I are just fine."

"Okay…" Madge said, something about the way she spoke made it clear she didn't believe him. She smiled softly at Peeta and left, pushing her way through the crowd to return to the rest of the group. He began to follow her, but decided against it. Instead, he left his cup next to the punch bowl and headed out of the gym. He fished his phone out of his pocket and called his mom.

"Hey mom… Could you maybe come pick me up?... No, I'm fine, everyone's fine… Thanks, I'll meet you out front." He hung up and typed out a quick text that he sent to both Katniss and Finnick. He knew they would understand why he was going, he just knew they would want to come with him if he told them face to face and right now, he just wanted to be alone.

* * *

A/N: Well, this chapter has been a long time coming and I don't even know if anyone who used to read this will even see it, but I felt like writing so I wrote. This chapter is kinda all over the place, but it's something to post. Any reviews are appreciated. Thanks :)


	19. Chapter 19

The bakery was slow today. Peeta sat at the counter, waiting for a customer to come in. It'd been just under half an hour since the last person had come in and he was getting bored. He'd woken up feeling fine. His mother hadn't asked any questions on the journey home, like he knew she wouldn't. He had said good night, climbed up stairs, took off his clothes and got into bed. Peeta had woken up to a message from Gale, a message from Katniss, and a missed call from Madge. He didn't read the messages or call Madge back. They could wait. Today wasn't going to be a repeat of the day before. He was not going to think about any of it for a whole day and he was going to prove to himself that he could feel okay for a day. That left him with nothing to do but accept his mother's offer of an extra shift at the bakery whilst she took his brother to baseball practice.

Peeta grabbed a mug from the shelf and poured himself a coffee. No milk. No sugar. He sipped the warm liquid, feeling the heat travel down his body to his stomach. The quiet was almost nice - boring - but nice. It was a change. The last couple of weeks had been chaotic. He'd gone from a straight virgin boy who had never had a girlfriend to a gay half-virgin who'd cheated with his best friend's boyfriend. So much had changed, yet he was no different to before.

Peeta had almost finished his mug of coffee when the bell above the door rang. A customer. Finally. He smiled up at the door to find Madge walking towards the counter. She smiled back. Out of everyone, she was the person he least expected to walk through the door after last night. He'd thought maybe Finn or Katniss might turn up to check he was okay, or even Gale would show his face. But her was Madge, stood at the counter, waiting. Was she waiting for him to speak first or was she just waiting to come up with something to say? Honestly, he didn't really want her to speak. Last night, she'd said she was going to ask Gale if he didn't tell her what was going to happen and he was pretty sure he didn't convince her that nothing was going on. Peeta didn't want to find out what Gale had told her.

"Hey." Peeta said, feeling as though that was a stupid thing to say. "Do you want anything to eat of drink?"

"I'll take a tea if there's one going." She answered. She sounded unsure, almost as if she couldn't tell if Peeta was genuinely asking her or just filling the silence.

"Coming up." Peeta turned to the coffee machine, placing a tea bag into a mug and using the hot water tap to fill the mug. He placed the mug on the counter in front Madge before grabbing a small jug and filling it with milk. "How was last night after I left?"

"Pretty good," She replied. "We didn't stay that much longer after you left actually. I think Finn and Katniss were a little worried about you."

"Why's that?" He asked, pouring himself another coffee.

"Well, you left kind of suddenly, Peeta." She answered, sitting on one of the stools at the counter and stirring a sugar cube in her tea. "We thought something might have happened. You seemed a little off all night."

Peeta didn't respond to that. He merely sipped his coffee. Today was going to be a day where he was okay. He didn't want to talk about this. He regretted bringing it up. "I was fine, honestly. I was just tired and I knew I had a shift in the bakery today, so I wanted to get some sleep so I wouldn't be completely useless."

"Fair enough." She nods, pouring a little of the milk into her tea. There was something she wasn't saying. Madge was never this quiet. Normally, she would talk for hours about every detail of the dance. Something was obviously wrong.

"So, uh… How come you came by the bakery today?" Peeta questioned, hoping to trigger her into telling him what was up. And whilst she was one of his best friends, it was a little weird for her or any of his friends to show up at the bakery unless they were picking him up.

"I spoke to Gale on the way home from the dance." She looked up from her tea, catching Peeta's eye. He knew straight away that Gale had told him about them. Though for some reason, she didn't seem angry or hurt or even sad. Madge just looked weirdly calm. "I asked him what was going on between you two, Peeta."

Peeta didn't respond.

"He didn't say anything either. Just sat in silence for the rest of the drive. That is, until we pulled up to my house." The blonde girl paused to sip her tea. Peeta studied her. Her hair was slightly curled from the night before. She didn't have any makeup on. Madge didn't need to wear makeup. Her skin was flawless. Her lips were pink. Her eyes were so blue that even if she did wear makeup, you wouldn't notice it. "He cried, Peeta."

"What?" Peeta said, taken aback by what she said. He didn't take Gale as the type to cry, not in front of people anyway.

"I've never seen Gale cry, not once in the whole time I've known him. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't full on sobbing. But there were enough tears for me to be a little concerned. I just sat there, waiting, hoping, for him to tell me what was happening. I couldn't deal with him lying to me as well as you." Madge looked Peeta directly in the eye. "He told me everything, Peeta. He told me about Capitol, about the date, about what happened at spin the bottle. Everything."

"Madge, please, I am so sorry." Peeta was already pleading with her. He didn't want to lose her as well as Gale out of this. "I have no idea why it happened. You have to believe me, Mad-..."

"Peeta, do you like him?" Madge asked, cutting him off.

"I…" Peeta wanted to tell her. But he could feel his cheeks getting hot. There was no doubt in his mind that they were bright red. His eyes were clouding up with tears, he couldn't really see Madge anymore but he wanted to tell her. Wiping his eyes, he tried to pull himself together enough to just say one word. He nodded and managed to muttered out a sorry. He was sorry, he really was. He'd pulled her boyfriend away from her, even if it was only for a week or so.

"Good." Madge said.

"What?" Peeta sniffed, wiping the tears from his eyes. He couldn't understand why she wasn't screaming at him, telling him why he was a crappy friend. "I like your boyfriend, Madge… You shouldn't be saying that's good. You should hate me."

"Peeta, it's good because…" Madge comforted, resting a hand on his arm. "Because he said the same thing. I'd be angry if you didn't like each other cause then he would have hurt both of us for nothing."

"Madge, we both hurt you, not just Gale. I was selfish."

"Peeta, shut up. I knew Gale wasn't gonna be 'the one'. He's a guy, a great guy. But… there'll be others." Madge got up and moved round the counter to stand next to Peeta. She pulled him into a hug. He rested his head on her shoulder, grateful for somewhere to hide his blotchy, tear-stained face. "I got my chance with him and it didn't work out. You should get your chance. Go be with him, Peeta." She whispered in his ear, softly rubbing his back.

The blond boy pulled away from the hug, and smiled at her, fresh tears running down his cheeks. Christ, what had he done to deserve Madge? She'd found out that he had fallen for her boyfriend, wasn't even angry about it and was now telling him to be with said boyfriend. "You want me to be with Gale?"

"No, I want you both to be happy. I thought Gale was happy with me, but after last night, it's pretty clear that he wants to be with you. I mean, he'd never looked at me that way when he caught some guy flirting with me." Madge smiled, crossing her arms. "I know I should be angry about that, or sad. But, I'm not. I'm just glad to of my friends have found each other."

"You're too good for us, Undersee." Peeta gushed, wiping the last of his tears from his face. He was right. Today was a day that he would feel okay.

"Don't you forget it, Mellark." Madge beamed. She reached over the counter and grabbed her tea, finishing it off. "Anyway, I should probably let you get back to your shift. Call me once you've spoken to Gale. I wanna hear every detail."

Peeta's shift had finished minutes ago. He was sat on his bed, his phone in his hands. The messages from Katniss and Gale still left unread. He opened the message from Katniss first.

 **Katniss:** _Hope you feel better in the morning. The dance got a bit boring so we weren't there much longer than you. Call me if you wanna do something tomorrow. x_

He typed out a quick reply, describing what had happened with Madge. The baker still couldn't quite believe what had happened. A relationship with Gale seemed almost impossible yesterday and now he was sat on his bed considering how and what to say to Gale. Should he call him? Text him? Turn up at his house? He opened Gale's message.

 **Gale:** _Tonight hurt._

Peeta checked the time that the brunette boy has sent him the text. 2:38am. Nearly twelve hours ago now. That must have been hours after Madge had spoken to him. The blond's breath caught in this throat. He had just assumed that he and Gale would jump straight into dating and kissing and spending all night talking on the phone. He hadn't even considered that the break up with Madge would upset Gale. Gale had said to him in the supply closet how much he liked Gale. Of course he was going to need time to get over her first. He could still message him to see if he wanted to talk though, right? Not even about the possibility of them getting together, just to see if he was okay.

 **Peeta:** _Should we talk?_

 **Peeta:** _I mean, do you want to talk?_

Peeta sat with the phone in his hands. What could he do now? He'd reached out and surely that was enough. He locked his phone and placed it on his bedside table. All he could do was wait.

It had been less than ten seconds and Peeta was already impatient. He wanted a reply. He wanted Gale to tell him to come over. Peeta wanted nothing more than for Gale to press him against the wall and kiss him. Wanting nothing more than to repeat what happened in Katniss's cupboard during spin the bottle, the baker checked his phone. Nothing, not even Katniss had replied to him yet. The waiting was going to drive him crazy. Maybe he should just drive over to Gale's? The worst that could happen was that Gale could tell him he wasn't ready. Peeta had already thought Gale didn't want him. He could deal with that again. If Gale decided he didn't want to be with Peeta, he'd just go to Finn's. Finn would help him forget about Gale. Finn would distract him with kisses and moans and sex. The best case scenario would be Gale kissing him on sight, dragging him up to his room, fucking him into the mattress and then asking him to be his boyfriend while they cuddled up in his bed. God Peeta wanted the best case scenario. He'd needed to taste Gale's lips and feel the heat of his body again. It was like an ache in his stomach, an urge for the brunette.

Two minutes later, he had still not received a reply. Peeta hated how badly he was going out of his mind. Maybe Gale didn't want to reply? What if he blamed Peeta for Madge breaking up with him? It hadn't even been an hour since Madge told him to go after Gale, yet here he was considering the possibility that Gale hated him. Peeta was desperate for answers. He quickly changed out of his work clothes and into a simple t-shirt and black jeans. Grabbing his denim jacket and phone, the blond made his way downstairs to the bakery. He picked his keys off the hook outside the back entrance of the kitchen and got into his car. If Gale didn't want to text him, Peeta would go to him. Peeta would get his answers even if it meant his day was not going to be okay.

The drive to Gale's house didn't take long. It was early Sunday afternoon. No one wanted to be out on a day like this. The sky was a dull grey, any glimpse of sun was covered by the thick layer of cloud. It wasn't particularly warm and rain was forecasted for later that afternoon. The roads were quiet. It took less than ten minutes for him to be sitting outside the Hawthorne house. Gale's car sat alone in the driveway. That was a good sign, hopefully it meant they would have the house to themselves. Now that he was here, Peeta felt like he was ambushing the other boy by showing up unannounced and uninvited. His desperation wavered. Maybe he could wait for answers. It would be nice to wait long before receiving would could potentially be bad news. His phone vibrated on the passenger seat next to him, making him jump. Peeta picked it up. It was a message from Katniss.

 **Katniss:** _Holy shit, Peeta. What are you gonna do? Are you gonna call him?_

 **Peeta:** _Well, I messaged him asking if he wanted to talk._

 **Peeta:** _But he hasn't replied yet._

 **Peeta:** _So I drove to his house. I couldn't wait for answers. I needed to ask him about us, about what's going to happen now. But now I'm sat in my car on the street, too scared to go knock on his door._

 **Katniss:** _Do you really wanna find out how he feels?_

 **Peeta:** _Yes._

 **Katniss:** _Then you better get knocking on that door._

 **Katniss:** _Surely it's better to know the answer than never find out and force yourself to endure the constant paranoia of never knowing where you stand with him._

 **Peeta:** _You're right, I'm gonna knock._

Peeta slide the phone into his pocket and got out of the car. Using his key to lock it behind him, he made his way up the pathway that lead to the front door. The stone path was sandwiched by green manicured lawn. Someone obviously took good care of the little garden that sat in front of the white picket fence style house. The blond reached the door and took a deep and shaky breath before knocking firmly on the door. He waited for someone to answer. No one did. He waited a little longer but eventually knocked again. This time he heard movement inside the house. Barely audible footsteps turned to louder footsteps. Then, the outline of a person was visible through the frosted glass of the front door. An incredibly Gale shaped outline. The door swung open and revealed Gale. He looked tired and his eyes were a little red as if he hadn't slept all night. The brunette looked visibly surprised to see Peeta, though Peeta didn't exactly know why.

"Hey, Peety…" Gale hesitated. He wore a dark t-shirt. It clung to his muscles, almost like a second skin. Peeta couldn't help but notice how good he looked.

"Hey," Peeta smiled uncertainly. His best case scenario had already failed him. Gale wasn't sweeping him up into a tight embrace and a warm kiss. In fact, he seemed a little guarded, like Peeta was about to hurt him. "Can we talk?"

"Yeah, sure." Gale motioned for him to come inside. Peeta followed him into the house, shrugging off his jacket. It was warmer inside the house. It was nice, made the house feel cosy even. Peeta could tell Gale had the house to himself. Gale had two brothers and a sister. The quiet of the house made it clear that there was no one else here but them.

"You home alone?" Peeta asked, hoping it would come across as polite small talk rather than a subtly suggestive question.

"Yeah, actually. My mom took my brothers and sister to go visit our Aunt for the weekend. Had the place to myself since Friday afternoon." Gale answered, leading him into the living room. It was a big room, clearly able to accomodate Gale's family with ease. It was surprisingly bright in the room considering the weather outside. The room was modern without looking cold and uninviting. "Make yourself comfortable… You want a drink or anything?"

Peeta simply shook his head and sat on the edge of the sofa. He wasn't quite sure whether Gale knew why he was here. Madge probably hadn't told Gale that she was going to tell Peeta about their break up and if that was true, then it would probably seem weird to Gale that Peeta had come to visit. The blond wanted to say something that would explain everything - what he knew, what he felt, what he wanted - but he couldn't think of how to go about it. Gale sat in an armchair that faced the sofa from an angle. Neither of them said anything. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, but Peeta didn't feel at home exactly. He had to say something, otherwise, he was pretty certain that the silence would continue until he left.

"Madge visited me this morning." Peeta blurted, knowing that Madge probably wasn't the greatest subject to bring up. He just needed the room to be filled with something other than silence.

"Oh yeah?" Gale replied after a the statement had hung in the air for a couple of seconds. He wasn't looking at Peeta while he spoke. The brunette focused instead on the hem of his t-shirt, seemingly something more interesting was going on down there. "What did she have to say?"

"She told me that you'd told her everything - about you and me, I mean." Peeta cautioned. He didn't want to say too much. He wasn't sure how Madge had said to Gale and how much she had left for Peeta's ears only.

"Yeah, I did." Gale muttered. He seemed upset, not that Peeta could blame him. He'd come clean to his girlfriend about cheating on her with one of her best friends and she had ended things with him. Peeta didn't know if he knew that Madge had ended things so they could have a chance. "Not surprisingly, she ended things with me, not that I can really blame her. I cheated. It's what I deserve." Peeta stayed silent. Gale obviously wanted to talk. Peeta got the feeling that Gale didn't necessarily want to say this to the baker, but he was the person that was here. "You know, after I told her, she didn't get angry or upset. She stayed quiet. We just sat quietly in my car, parked outside her house. After what felt like ages, she asked me if I liked you. I was so taken aback by the question that I couldn't answer. I just nodded. I wasn't going to lie to her after all the confessing I had done. Again, she didn't get angry. She just leaned over, kissed me on the cheek and told me to 'go get you'. I asked her what she meant, but this time, it was her who didn't speak. She just got out of the car and left. I knew what she meant anyway. It was over and that was that."

When it was clear Gale had finished, Peeta spoke.

"I'm sorry, Gale…" Peeta reassured. "This isn't how I wanted it to go. That's why I didn't tell her anything when she asked me at the dance."

That's when Gale buried his head in his hands. His body began to shake softly. Peeta had never seen the tall boy cry before. It ripped him apart, seeing him so upset. The blond moved from the sofa and made his way over to Gale. Peeta laid a hand on Gale's knee. He didn't say anything. He just wanted Gale to know he was there, that he was ready when he was ready. The brunette looked up at Peeta. His cheeks were flushed as if he were embarrassed to be crying in front of the baker. He wiped the tears from his eyes and face and stood. Peeta stood with him, facing him. They were close, close enough for Peeta to notice the slight tinge of pale blue in Gale's grey eyes. Gale grabbed the neck of Peeta's shirt and pulled him closer. Peeta took in a sharp breath, certain that Gale was about to kick him out of the house for seeing him cry, and for being part of the reason his relationship with Madge ended. Just because Madge wasn't angry, it didn't mean Gale wasn't. However, Gale didn't explode with anger. He didn't shout. He didn't shove Peeta away. The brunette leaned in and pressed his lips against the blond's.

The kiss was simple and soft, but it sent chills up Peeta's spine. Gale let go of his t-shirt, placing his hand on Peeta's hip. The brunette's other hand snaked up to cup the baker's cheek. Over his initial shock, Peeta deepened this kiss. He hungered for more of Gale, more of his taste, more of his warmth. He ran a hand through Gale's brunette hair, letting his hand rest on the back of the taller boy's neck. Peeta thought he had wanted more of what he had gotten from Gale at Katniss's party. Hurried and heated kisses that sent electricity straight to his cock. But this, this was so much better. It was tender, soft, caring. It sent warmth coursing through the blond's body. Peeta felt the weight of everything that had happened between him and Gale being burnt away by the pure chemistry of the kiss. The world had stopped. Nothing was real except Peeta and Gale in that moment and he never wanted that moment to end. Eventually however, it did. Gale pulled away from the kiss, but not away from Peeta. Their bodies stayed pressed together. Peeta smiled up at the brunette. Gale, pressed his forehead to the blond's. Neither of them said anything. Neither of them had to.

It was their first real kiss and it was perfect.

* * *

A/N: I started writing this as soon as I finished the last chapter. I didn't realise how easy it would be to slip into this again. I know Madge's reaction wasn't exactly realistic, but fuck it, it's my story. Any reviews and criticisms are welcome. Thanks for reading and for sticking with this mess of a story. Happy holidays everyone. :)


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